Blue Trust Inc. Sells 15,904 Shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC)

Blue Trust Inc. cut its position in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 86.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,904 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in HSBC were worth $124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in HSBC in the third quarter valued at $139,895,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in HSBC by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,442,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $110,363,000 after purchasing an additional 749,759 shares during the last quarter. Janney Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,306,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HSBC during the third quarter worth approximately $54,770,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of HSBC by 124.3% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 171,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,820,000 after acquiring an additional 94,991 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

HSBC Price Performance

HSBC opened at $56.07 on Friday. HSBC Holdings plc has a one year low of $36.93 and a one year high of $57.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $51.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $200.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.54.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.79 billion. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.14% and a net margin of 16.17%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that HSBC Holdings plc will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is 31.94%.

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.