HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

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

HSBC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HSBC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised shares of HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday, March 6th.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

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

HSBC Stock Up 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE HSBC opened at $57.08 on Monday. HSBC has a 1 year low of $38.34 and a 1 year high of $61.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $53.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.78. The firm has a market cap of $203.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.88.

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

HSBC Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.61%. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.