Bank of Montreal Can Decreases Stake in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its holdings in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC - Free Report) by 58.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 99,376 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in HSBC were worth $3,563,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC increased its stake in HSBC by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,883,238 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $142,605,000 after purchasing an additional 441,033 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in HSBC by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 35,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 2,391 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 289,887 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,338,000 after purchasing an additional 14,640 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new position in HSBC during the 4th quarter worth approximately $277,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 226.4% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 2,001 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,388 shares during the period. 1.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HSBC Price Performance

HSBC stock traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $52.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,190,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,513. HSBC Holdings plc has a 1-year low of $39.42 and a 1-year high of $61.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock's fifty day moving average is $55.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.41, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.40.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $13.79 billion. As a group, analysts predict that HSBC Holdings plc will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.80 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 13.81%. HSBC's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on HSBC shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of HSBC from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Barclays upgraded HSBC from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered HSBC from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

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.