QRG Capital Management Inc. Cuts Stake in HSBC Holdings plc $HSBC

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 42.7% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 225,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 168,240 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in HSBC were worth $15,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Shilanski & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in HSBC in the 3rd quarter valued at $5,141,000. ABC Arbitrage SA lifted its position in HSBC by 237.0% in the second quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 170,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,382,000 after buying an additional 120,110 shares during the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in HSBC by 78.2% during the second quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 9,119 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 4,002 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HSBC in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $290,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 117,639 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,151,000 after acquiring an additional 8,932 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

HSBC Stock Performance

Shares of HSBC stock opened at $82.52 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $75.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.92 and a quick ratio of 0.92. HSBC Holdings plc has a 12 month low of $45.66 and a 12 month high of $83.04.

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

HSBC Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from HSBC’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HSBC. Morgan Stanley started coverage on HSBC in a research report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Bank of America upgraded HSBC from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.00.

HSBC News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting HSBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC is undertaking a strategic review of its insurance business in Singapore, including exploring a potential sale — a move management says is part of simplifying operations globally; this could unlock value or reduce complexity if a divestment or restructuring follows. HSBC to review Singapore insurance business as its slims down globally
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley has begun analyst coverage of HSBC, which can raise investor attention and trading liquidity; the initiation itself is a near-term catalyst even if the published note’s stance is not widely publicized yet. Morgan Stanley Begins Coverage on HSBC (NYSE:HSBC)
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC published investment commentary naming two AI stocks as likely earnings winners — informative for markets but not directly material to HSBC’s own earnings; shows the bank’s research franchise is active. HSBC Says These 2 AI Stocks Are Likely to Be Earnings Winners. Should You Buy Them Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC strategists (Max Kettner) are publicly very bullish on equities — commentary that reflects the bank’s market views but is unlikely to move HSBC shares materially by itself. We’re ‘almost maximum bullish’ on equities, particularly in the US.: HSBC’s Max Kettner
• Neutral Sentiment: HSBC research highlights long-term tech opportunities (e.g., smart glasses market forecast to 2040) — supports its research-driven revenue stream but is a longer-dated, non-core signal for bank valuation. Smart glasses market will be worth $200 billion by 2040, HSBC says

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.