Shares of British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI), or BAT for short, rose after the tobacco company reported its first-half results, as its buyback program helped overshadow a decline in revenue. The stock has now rallied over 18% so far this year.

Income-oriented investors are the ones that are generally drawn to the stock, and even after the stock's strong year-to-date performance, it still carries an over 8.5% forward dividend yield.

Let's take a closer at BAT's most recent earnings results, its buyback program, and the safety of its dividend.

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Source Fool.com