HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) Upgraded to Overweight at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of HSBC (NYSE:HSBC - Free Report) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports.

Several other research firms also recently commented on HSBC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of HSBC from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded HSBC from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, HSBC has a consensus rating of "Hold".

HSBC Stock Up 1.9 %

HSBC stock traded up $1.13 on Tuesday, hitting $61.56. 3,595,385 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,620,112. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $52.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.00. 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 12-month low of $36.93 and a 12-month high of $61.88. The stock has a market cap of $219.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that HSBC will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Announces Dividend

The firm 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 11.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. HSBC's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 115.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 124.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 171,416 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,820,000 after buying an additional 94,991 shares during the period. Wealthstar Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $664,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new stake in HSBC in the 4th quarter worth approximately $701,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of HSBC by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 141,108 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,979,000 after purchasing an additional 15,510 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. 1.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.