HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Short Interest Up 33.1% in December

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,048,745 shares, a growth of 33.1% from the November 30th total of 4,545,518 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,501,122 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,501,122 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.0 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on HSBC. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of HSBC in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of HSBC from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded HSBC from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $63.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in HSBC by 9.2% during the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,043,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,036,067,000 after purchasing an additional 1,430,797 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 worth $30,529,000 after purchasing an additional 309,738 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 185,073 shares in the last quarter. Foresight Global Investors Inc. purchased a new position in HSBC in the third quarter valued at approximately $12,810,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in HSBC by 14.7% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,311,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,113,000 after buying an additional 168,438 shares in the last quarter. 1.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

HSBC Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of HSBC traded up $0.38 on Tuesday, hitting $79.23. 1,415,920 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,424,040. HSBC has a 1 year low of $45.66 and a 1 year high of $79.97. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $72.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $272.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The financial services provider reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $17.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.78 billion. HSBC had a return on equity of 12.78% and a net margin of 12.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

HSBC Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This is a positive change from HSBC’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.68%.

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.