HSBC Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:HSBC)

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 61,945 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,879% compared to the average daily volume of 3,130 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on HSBC shares. Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating on shares of HSBC in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of HSBC from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $761.75.

Institutional Trading of HSBC

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of HSBC during the 4th quarter worth approximately $352,000. Ativo Capital Management LLC bought a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,181,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in HSBC by 11.6% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,256 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,064,000 after buying an additional 2,724 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 0.9% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,374,688 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $330,465,000 after purchasing an additional 73,129 shares during the period. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in HSBC by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 95,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,752,000 after buying an additional 21,380 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

HSBC Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE HSBC opened at $45.40 on Thursday. HSBC has a fifty-two week low of $35.30 and a fifty-two week high of $45.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $40.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.34.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by ($0.33). HSBC had a return on equity of 10.80% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm had revenue of $13.02 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

HSBC Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.41%. HSBC’s payout ratio is presently 106.55%.

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.