HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• HSBC has an average analyst rating of "Hold" from 12 research firms, with eight hold ratings and four buy ratings. Recent analyst actions were mixed, including a reissued hold from Deutsche Bank and buy ratings from Citigroup and Goldman Sachs.
• Insider activity showed Daniel Scott Palomaki sold 23,123 shares in May at an average price of $18.11, cutting his ownership by 82.3%. Insiders now hold only 0.01% of the company’s stock.
• HSBC reported strong recent financials, including $0.44 EPS on $19.12 billion in revenue for the quarter, and it recently paid a $0.50 quarterly dividend that annualizes to a 1.9% yield. The stock was trading near its 52-week high at $103.23.

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HSBC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded HSBC from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BNP Paribas Exane cut HSBC from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on HSBC in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock.

Insider Activity at HSBC

In other news, insider Daniel Scott Palomaki sold 23,123 shares of HSBC stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.11, for a total transaction of $418,757.53. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 4,973 shares in the company, valued at $90,061.03. The trade was 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 company insiders.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake 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 worth $71,548,000 after buying an additional 843,186 shares during the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at about $988,000. May Hill Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of HSBC by 105.9% during the 4th quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 23,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,843,000 after acquiring an additional 12,047 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 74.6% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 47,456 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,733,000 after acquiring an additional 20,281 shares during the period. Finally, US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of HSBC by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 165,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,055,000 after acquiring an additional 14,953 shares during the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HSBC Price Performance

HSBC stock opened at $103.23 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $354.78 billion, a PE ratio of 16.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.57. HSBC has a 52 week low of $60.61 and a 52 week high of $103.50. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $94.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $89.17. 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 (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter. HSBC had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The firm had revenue of $19.12 billion during the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that HSBC will post 8.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. HSBC's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.46%.

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.

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