HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Short Interest Update

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,780,000 shares, a decrease of 19.4% from the February 28th total of 9,650,000 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,400,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.2 days.

HSBC Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE HSBC traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $57.28. 1,758,964 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,665,863. 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 has a one year low of $39.04 and a one year high of $61.88. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $55.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.90. The company has a market cap of $203.98 billion, a PE ratio of 9.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.79 billion. HSBC had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 12.20%. On average, equities analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid 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 12.57%. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.81%.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in HSBC during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of HSBC by 58.2% in the 4th 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 raised its holdings in shares of HSBC by 342.9% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of HSBC during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in HSBC by 138.5% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 775 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HSBC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of HSBC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

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.