Short Interest in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Declines By 8.7%

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,400,000 shares, a decline of 8.7% from the March 31st total of 9,200,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,180,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on HSBC shares. BNP Paribas downgraded HSBC from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, HSBC currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $811.00.

HSBC Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of HSBC stock traded up $0.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $42.19. 1,619,128 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,224,405. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $39.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90. HSBC has a 52-week low of $35.30 and a 52-week high of $42.47. The stock has a market cap of $159.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.63.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.33). HSBC had a return on equity of 12.89% and a net margin of 19.02%. The firm had revenue of $13.02 billion during the quarter. Equities analysts predict that HSBC will post 7.24 EPS for the current year.

HSBC Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $1.55 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a boost from HSBC’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $6.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.70%. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HSBC

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HSBC. Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of HSBC during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in HSBC during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in HSBC during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of HSBC during the first quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in HSBC by 74.8% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 895 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

HSBC Company 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.