Franklin Resources Inc. Has $19.66 Million Position in HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 397,408 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 11,864 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in HSBC were worth $19,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of HSBC. Berbice Capital Management LLC bought a new position in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of HSBC by 58.2% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 571 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in HSBC during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in HSBC in the fourth quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of HSBC in the 4th quarter valued at about $73,000. Institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded HSBC from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upgraded HSBC from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of HSBC from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, HSBC presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

HSBC Stock Performance

HSBC opened at $49.87 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.20. HSBC Holdings plc has a 1 year low of $39.42 and a 1 year high of $61.88. The company has a market capitalization of $177.57 billion, a PE ratio of 8.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.40.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.04. HSBC had a net margin of 16.17% and a return on equity of 12.20%. The business had revenue of $11.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.79 billion. Research analysts expect that HSBC Holdings plc will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

HSBC Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 25th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is currently 115.81%.

About HSBC

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.