HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $63.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank upgraded HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Friday, October 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on HSBC in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 2.1% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,398,460 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,234,943,000 after buying an additional 355,089 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in HSBC by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 10,575,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $750,659,000 after acquiring an additional 185,073 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in HSBC by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,045,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,144,000 after purchasing an additional 136,342 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in HSBC by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,311,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,113,000 after purchasing an additional 168,438 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of HSBC by 160.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 502,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,529,000 after purchasing an additional 309,738 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

HSBC Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HSBC opened at $87.10 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.71. HSBC has a 1-year low of $45.66 and a 1-year high of $88.54. The firm has a market cap of $299.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.52.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $17.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.78 billion. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 12.85%. Analysts anticipate that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

HSBC Company Profile

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HSBC) is a multinational banking and financial services organization headquartered in London. It traces its origins to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, founded in 1865 to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia, and has since grown into one of the world’s largest banking groups. The company is publicly listed in multiple markets, including the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and as an American depositary receipt on the New York Stock Exchange.

HSBC operates a universal banking model, serving retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.