HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

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

HSBC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Barclays raised HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a 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, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday.

HSBC Price Performance

NYSE HSBC traded down $2.34 on Monday, reaching $55.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,840,620 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,634,585. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $53.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.35. HSBC has a 12 month low of $36.93 and a 12 month high of $61.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $198.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.04. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 16.17%. The company had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.79 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

HSBC Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 payout ratio is currently 115.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of HSBC by 124.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 171,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,820,000 after acquiring an additional 94,991 shares during the last quarter. Wealthstar Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $664,000. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in HSBC during the 4th quarter worth $701,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of HSBC by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 141,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,979,000 after purchasing an additional 15,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HSBC during the fourth quarter valued at about $244,000. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

HSBC Company Profile

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.