HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings 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.

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HSBC shares. StockNews.com raised HSBC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded shares of HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Thursday, March 6th.

HSBC Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HSBC opened at $56.34 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $200.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.40. HSBC has a 12 month low of $39.42 and a 12 month high of $61.88. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $55.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.01.

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

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 115.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of HSBC by 58.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 342.9% during the 4th quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in HSBC during the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.