HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Short Interest Update

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 9,650,000 shares, an increase of 36.7% from the February 13th total of 7,060,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,210,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.4 days. Currently, 0.3% of the company's shares are sold short.

HSBC Trading Down 1.8 %

HSBC stock traded down $1.08 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $57.78. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,783,021 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,654,367. The company has a 50 day moving average of $54.53 and a 200-day moving average of $49.04. The stock has a market cap of $205.74 billion, a PE ratio of 9.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. 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 one year low of $38.35 and a one year high of $61.88.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.79 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that HSBC will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

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HSBC Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Shareholders 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 12.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. HSBC's dividend payout ratio is 115.81%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HSBC. Berbice Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HSBC during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in HSBC by 58.2% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of HSBC by 342.9% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 589 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of HSBC by 138.5% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 775 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. 1.48% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HSBC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded HSBC from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised HSBC from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays raised HSBC from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.