Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) Upgraded at HSBC

HSBC upgraded shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. HSBC currently has $57.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on BAC. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Bank of America from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $63.00 to $58.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Bank of America in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Bank of America from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Bank of America from $58.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.54.

Bank of America Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BAC opened at $49.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $352.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $50.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.20. Bank of America has a 12 month low of $33.06 and a 12 month high of $57.55.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $4.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.73 billion. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.07% and a net margin of 16.23%.Bank of America’s quarterly revenue was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Bank of America will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Bank of America’s payout ratio is presently 29.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Bank of America

In other Bank of America news, insider James P. Demare sold 83,832 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $4,191,600.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 307,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,362,000. This trade represents a 21.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Thomas M. Scrivener sold 50,000 shares of Bank of America stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.82, for a total transaction of $2,491,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 227,973 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,357,614.86. This trade represents a 17.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 227,832 shares of company stock worth $11,094,960. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Bank of America by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. DecisionMap Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,061 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $223,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp boosted its stake in Bank of America by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 4,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $273,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Holistic Financial Partners grew its holdings in Bank of America by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Holistic Financial Partners now owns 7,896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $434,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Operose Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Bank of America by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 20,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,123,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. increased its stake in shares of Bank of America by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. now owns 19,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. 70.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Bank of America News

Here are the key news stories impacting Bank of America this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HSBC upgraded BAC to a “Buy,” a near‑term lift as a respected shop adding conviction to the stock amid broader bank‑sector momentum. HSBC Upgrades Bank of America
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated its Buy on BAC, reinforcing analyst support and likely helping limit downside from other negative headlines. Barclays Sticks to Its Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis highlights BAC’s robust capital‑return plan (record earnings, $40B buyback and steady dividend hikes) — a structural tailwind that supports the stock’s valuation and investor demand. Capital Return Strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Preliminary approval of a $72.5M settlement with Epstein accusers removes some legal uncertainty but represents an immediate cash cost — mixed for near‑term EPS but clears an overhang. Settlement Approval
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America disclosed a 3.01% voting stake in Qiagen — a portfolio/strategic holding disclosure that is unlikely to move BAC’s core earnings but is notable for asset‑management transparency. Qiagen Voting Stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Bank of America data on card‑spending trends (furniture/department stores down, gas station spending up) signals shifting consumer patterns that will shape fee and interchange trends — watch consumer credit and transaction volumes. Card Spending Trends
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its BAC price target to $61 — a downward revision that can pressure sentiment even if the rating remains constructive. Morgan Stanley Cuts Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: A foiled bomb plot targeting a Bank of America Paris branch and subsequent remote‑work measures have drawn attention to the bank’s geopolitical and physical‑security exposure; while arrests and pre‑trial detentions reduce immediate threat, the headlines raise operational‑risk sensitivity. Foiled Paris Bomb Plot and Remote‑Work Shift

About Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation is a multinational financial services company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It provides a broad array of banking, investment, asset management and related financial and risk management products and services to individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, governments and institutional investors. The firm operates through consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global banking and markets businesses, offering capabilities across lending, deposits, payments, advisory and capital markets.

Its consumer-facing offerings include checking and savings accounts, mortgages, home equity lending, auto loans, credit cards and small business banking, supported by a nationwide branch network and digital channels.