HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Shares Sold by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. trimmed its holdings in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,472 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 868 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc.’s holdings in HSBC were worth $617,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in HSBC by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 289,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,338,000 after purchasing an additional 14,640 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in HSBC by 226.4% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,001 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,388 shares during the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. raised its holdings in shares of HSBC by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 15,965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622 shares during the period. Finally, May Hill Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of HSBC in the 4th quarter worth about $551,000. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on HSBC shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded HSBC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays raised shares of HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, HSBC presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

HSBC Stock Down 2.9 %

HSBC opened at $48.40 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.96. HSBC Holdings plc has a 12 month low of $39.42 and a 12 month high of $61.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $56.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.23. The stock has a market cap of $172.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.40.

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

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 14.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.81%.

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.