HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) Short Interest Up 7.4% in September

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,950,000 shares, an increase of 7.4% from the September 15th total of 7,400,000 shares. Currently, 0.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,460,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Dbs Bank raised HSBC to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

HSBC Price Performance

NYSE HSBC traded up $0.28 on Thursday, hitting $44.38. The company had a trading volume of 410,608 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,744,111. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $166.46 billion, a PE ratio of 7.66, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.56. HSBC has a 12-month low of $35.30 and a 12-month high of $46.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $43.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.34.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter. HSBC had a net margin of 15.61% and a return on equity of 10.60%. The firm had revenue of $16.54 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts predict that HSBC will post 6.22 earnings per share for the current year.

HSBC Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.51%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of HSBC by 4.6% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 850,842 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,012,000 after buying an additional 37,781 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in HSBC by 22.1% in the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 413,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,000,000 after acquiring an additional 74,980 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in HSBC by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 361,416 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,722,000 after purchasing an additional 9,323 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of HSBC by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 302,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,180,000 after purchasing an additional 48,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning grew its position in shares of HSBC by 9.4% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 222,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,036,000 after purchasing an additional 19,165 shares in 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.