HSBC Holdings plc $HSBC Shares Acquired by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 1.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 500,505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,891 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in HSBC were worth $41,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in HSBC by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,800,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,400,385,000 after buying an additional 402,288 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of HSBC by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 7,483,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $588,757,000 after acquiring an additional 993,473 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,045,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,144,000 after acquiring an additional 136,342 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of HSBC by 77.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 1,443,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $113,577,000 after purchasing an additional 627,857 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in HSBC by 1,272.2% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 909,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $71,548,000 after purchasing an additional 843,186 shares during the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at HSBC

In related news, insider Daniel Scott Palomaki sold 23,123 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total transaction of $418,757.53. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 4,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,061.03. This represents a 82.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.01% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about HSBC

Here are the key news stories impacting HSBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC plans to hire more than 100 artificial-intelligence specialists and 100 wealth relationship managers in Singapore. The investment could accelerate automation, improve productivity and expand wealth-management revenue, a higher-margin business that supports the bank’s Asian growth strategy. Reuters article on HSBC hiring AI specialists and wealth managers
• Positive Sentiment: The bank is also tapping debt-capital-markets leaders across the United States and Middle East. The hires indicate an effort to capture more corporate-finance and bond-issuance activity, potentially boosting fee income. Bloomberg article on HSBC debt-capital-markets hires
• Neutral Sentiment: Blackstone’s credit arm is reportedly nearing a deal to acquire HSBC’s Australian loan book, valued at more than $30 billion. A sale could simplify HSBC’s portfolio and release capital for strategic priorities, but the financial terms, timing and effect on earnings have not been disclosed. Yahoo Finance report on Blackstone and HSBC Australian loan book
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC is reportedly raising mortgage rates in the United Kingdom for the second time in a week. Higher rates may support lending margins, but could reduce mortgage demand and increase pressure on customers and competitors. Report on HSBC increasing mortgage rates

HSBC Stock Performance

Shares of HSBC stock opened at $103.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $357.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. HSBC Holdings plc has a 52 week low of $60.61 and a 52 week high of $104.33.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $19.12 billion for the quarter. HSBC had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 16.06%. On average, research analysts predict that HSBC Holdings plc will post 8.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSBC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded HSBC from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Erste Group Bank lowered HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut HSBC from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, HSBC currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

HSBC Company Profile

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HSBC) is a multinational banking and financial services organization headquartered in London. It traces its origins to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, founded in 1865 to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia, and has since grown into one of the world’s largest banking groups. The company is publicly listed in multiple markets, including the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and as an American depositary receipt on the New York Stock Exchange.

HSBC operates a universal banking model, serving retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.