HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, one has given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HSBC. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays upgraded HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HSBC. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in HSBC by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 500,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,620,000 after buying an additional 67,941 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management grew its position in shares of HSBC by 28.9% in the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 301,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,639,000 after purchasing an additional 67,617 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in HSBC by 33.1% during the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its holdings in HSBC by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 10,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of HSBC by 4.3% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HSBC Stock Down 4.0 %

HSBC stock traded down $2.34 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $55.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,840,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,634,585. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. HSBC has a fifty-two week low of $36.93 and a fifty-two week high of $61.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $53.30 and its 200-day moving average is $48.35.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.79 billion. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 16.17%. On average, research analysts forecast that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

HSBC Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.93%. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.81%.

About HSBC

HSBC Holdings plc provides banking and financial services worldwide. The company operates through Wealth and Personal Banking, Commercial Banking, and Global Banking and Markets segments. The Wealth and Personal Banking segment offers retail banking and wealth products, including current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans, credit and debit cards, and local and international payment services; and wealth management services comprising insurance and investment products, global asset management services, investment management, and private wealth solutions.