HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 6,133 Shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC)

HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 163,979 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,133 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in HSBC were worth $8,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in HSBC by 124.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 171,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,820,000 after purchasing an additional 94,991 shares during the period. Wealthstar Advisors LLC purchased a new position in HSBC during the 4th quarter worth $664,000. Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in HSBC during the 4th quarter worth $701,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its holdings in HSBC by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 141,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,979,000 after purchasing an additional 15,510 shares during the period. Finally, Perigon Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in HSBC during the 4th quarter valued at $244,000. 1.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

HSBC Trading Up 1.3 %

HSBC stock opened at $57.83 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. HSBC Holdings plc has a 12-month low of $38.34 and a 12-month high of $61.88. The stock has a market cap of $206.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.33, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.51. The business’s 50-day moving average is $54.14 and its 200 day moving average is $48.87.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last issued its earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.79 billion. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.20% and a net margin of 16.17%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that HSBC Holdings plc will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is presently 115.81%.

HSBC 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.