HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Hold Rating

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on HSBC. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays raised HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

HSBC Stock Performance

HSBC stock opened at $55.71 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $53.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.43. HSBC has a 1-year low of $36.93 and a 1-year high of $61.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $198.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last posted 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. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 16.17%. The firm had revenue of $11.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.79 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HSBC. FMR LLC increased its holdings in HSBC by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,883,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $142,605,000 after purchasing an additional 441,033 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in HSBC by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,781,307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $137,563,000 after purchasing an additional 951,050 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in HSBC by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 937,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $46,347,000 after purchasing an additional 40,388 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in HSBC by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 514,642 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,454,000 after purchasing an additional 14,095 shares in the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in HSBC by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 401,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,881,000 after purchasing an additional 85,104 shares in the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

HSBC Company Profile

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.