HSBC Holdings plc $HSBC Shares Sold by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs reduced its HSBC stake by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 315,299 shares and leaving it with 5.9 million shares valued at about $465.4 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed, with five Buy ratings and six Hold ratings overall, giving HSBC an average “Hold” rating. Recent moves included upgrades and downgrades from firms such as BNP Paribas Exane, Zacks Research, and Weiss Ratings.
• HSBC recently raised a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, or $2.00 annualized, which implies a 2.2% yield. The company also reported quarterly earnings of $0.44 per share on revenue of $19.13 billion.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,915,250 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 315,299 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned about 0.17% of HSBC worth $465,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HSBC during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of HSBC by 80.5% during the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 444 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HSBC during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of HSBC by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 498 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on HSBC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of HSBC from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of HSBC from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of HSBC from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, HSBC currently has an average rating of "Hold".

Key Stories Impacting HSBC

Here are the key news stories impacting HSBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC continues to draw attention for product expansion, including the launch of the RedHex Hybrid Long-Short Fund, which highlights ongoing efforts to grow fee-generating assets and broaden its investment offerings.
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC’s market commentary on sectors like export-led manufacturing and AI suggests the firm sees long-term opportunities in growth themes that could support client activity and fund demand.
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC Continental Europe issued a post-stabilisation notice related to Sanofi bonds, a routine capital-markets update with little direct impact on the bank’s core earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC also featured in conference and fund-related coverage, including an earnings/strategy transcript and a piece on whether the stock has already run too far after a strong one-year rally; these items mainly reinforce existing investor debate rather than change fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A Bloomberg Law report saying a whistleblower accused HSBC Bank USA of Sarbanes-Oxley violations could raise compliance and legal-risk concerns for the broader HSBC franchise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market news about tighter offshore banking restrictions in China hit Asia-focused lenders and weighed on sentiment toward HSBC, given the bank’s significant exposure to Asia and China-linked activity. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at HSBC

In other news, insider Daniel Scott Palomaki sold 23,123 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total value of $418,757.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,973 shares in the company, valued at $90,061.03. This trade represents a 82.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.01% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

HSBC Price Performance

HSBC stock opened at $92.59 on Friday. HSBC Holdings plc has a one year low of $58.14 and a one year high of $95.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.92. The business has a fifty day moving average of $89.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.93. The company has a market cap of $318.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.56.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter. HSBC had a return on equity of 13.35% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company had revenue of $19.13 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that HSBC Holdings plc will post 8.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. HSBC's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.46%.

HSBC 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.

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