Gradient Investments LLC Increases Position in HSBC Holdings plc $HSBC

Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE:HSBC) by 42.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 27,558 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,245 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in HSBC were worth $2,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in HSBC by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 8,186 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of HSBC by 2.2% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of HSBC by 6.6% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 2,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $187,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association grew its position in shares of HSBC by 3.7% during the third quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 4,718 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC raised its stake in HSBC by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 1.48% of the company’s stock.

HSBC Stock Performance

NYSE:HSBC opened at $79.90 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $274.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.21, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.50. HSBC Holdings plc has a 1 year low of $45.66 and a 1 year high of $94.79. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $85.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

HSBC (NYSE:HSBC) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.60 by $0.25. HSBC had a return on equity of 13.10% and a net margin of 16.07%.The firm had revenue of $17.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.01 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that HSBC Holdings plc will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

HSBC Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $2.25 dividend. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from HSBC’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. HSBC’s dividend payout ratio is 148.43%.

Key Stories Impacting HSBC

Here are the key news stories impacting HSBC this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights HSBC as a high-yield dividend rebound candidate (Zacks Rank #2, Buy), which supports demand from income-focused investors and can lift sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: HSBC appointed David Rice as its first Chief AI Officer, signaling a strategic push to scale generative AI across the bank to boost productivity and lower operating costs — a move investors often view as earnings-accretive over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also profiles HSBC as a top-ranked value stock based on style scores, reinforcing the narrative that valuation metrics may attract value investors even absent near-term catalysts. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative coverage (HSBC vs. NAB) discusses relative value and regional exposures, helping portfolio managers decide allocation but unlikely to move the stock sharply by itself. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Organizational updates at HSBC Asset Management (new alternatives CEO) are incremental and relevant for AM division watchers but have limited immediate impact on the parent bank’s share price. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say the AI push is tied to a sweeping restructure that could include cuts of up to ~20,000 jobs — a near-term headwind for employee morale, possible one‑time restructuring charges, and political/regulatory scrutiny in key markets. That risk can weigh on sentiment despite long-term cost benefits. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting the AI hire specifically frames it as part of cost-cutting plans; investors may factor potential restructuring costs and execution risk into near-term valuation. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on HSBC. Morgan Stanley started coverage on HSBC in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of HSBC from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of HSBC from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of HSBC in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HSBC from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.00.

HSBC Profile

HSBC Holdings plc (NYSE: HSBC) is a multinational banking and financial services organization headquartered in London. It traces its origins to the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, founded in 1865 to facilitate trade between Europe and Asia, and has since grown into one of the world’s largest banking groups. The company is publicly listed in multiple markets, including the London Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and as an American depositary receipt on the New York Stock Exchange.

HSBC operates a universal banking model, serving retail, commercial, corporate and institutional clients.