February 1, 2024
Top 10 Stock HSBC Hold Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: HSBC – Top 10 Stock in FTSE 100 Index
HSBC is listed as a top 10 stock on February 01, 2024 in the market index FTSE 100 because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. While half the consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average, investor sentiment is negative and growth performance is below market average, both a sign for caution. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 46 (46% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall hold recommendation for HSBC on February 01, 2024.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Industry | Diversified Banks |
| Index | FTSE All Shares, FTSE 100, FTSE 350, Dividends Europe, Employee Focus EU, Human Rights, Recycling |
| Size class | XX-Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View HSBC Hold
| 360 METRICS | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 57 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 27 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 61 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 40 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 46 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 46 (better than 46% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock HSBC are below the industry average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half the metrics below and half above average for HSBC. The consolidated Value Rank has an attractive rank of 57, which means that the share price of HSBC is on the lower side compared with the typical size in indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. This means the stock price is lower than for 57% of alternative stocks in the same industry. The company is also safely financed with a Safety rank of 61. But the professional market sentiment is below average compared with other stock investment alternatives with a Sentiment Rank of 40. Professional investors are more confident in 60% other stocks. The consolidated Growth Rank also has a low rank of 27, which means that the company is below average in terms of growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth, and stock returns. 73 of its competitors have better growth. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 46, HSBC is worse than 54% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. The picture is mixed here. The stock seems to be a good value (Value Rank of 57), and the financing structure is on the safer side (Safety Rank of 61). However, sentiment in the professional investor community is below-average (Sentiment Rank of 40), as is the growth momentum for the company (Growth Rank of 27). Since the company is good value and the share price low, it should attract investors, yet professionals are skeptical. Even though the financing structure is not as important as Value, Growth, and Sentiment, investors should still be careful with this decision and conduct further research if they are serious about investing in this company. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for HSBC only reserved
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock HSBC is below industry average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half the indicators below and the other half above average for HSBC. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to warn against investing in the stock of the company. Worse, Analyst Opinions Change has a rank of 47, which means that stock research experts are getting more pessimistic. It doesn't end with the analysts. Market Pulse is also low with a rank of 46, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks tend to be negative when discussing this company (more negative news than for 54% of competitors). On the upside, the Professional Investors rank is 71, which means that professional investors hold more stock in this company than in 71% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to favor investing in this company. This could be due to a large company size, which could contribute to the higher share of professional investors in the company. If this is not the case, the low sentiment ranks are more challenging to explain. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 40 (less encouraging than 60% compared with investment alternatives), HSBC has a reputation among professional investors that is below that of its competitors. Should the company be on the smaller side, the presence of professional investors could be reassuring. That would make HSBC stock something like a hidden gem. Investors should make sure with further research that this is true, because all other sentiment indicators are negative which is a sign for caution. ...read more
Value Strategy: HSBC Stock Price Value better than average
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% compared with alternatives), HSBC shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for HSBC. Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) is 62 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 62% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning HSBC's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 46, which means that the stock price is lower as regards to invested capital than for 46% of comparable investments. On the other hand, Price-to-Sales is less favorable than 54% of alternatives (only 46% of peers have an even less favorable ratio). The same is valid for dividend yield, which is lower than 6% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 57, is a buy recommendation based on HSBC's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. This is a puzzling picture, because it means that profits are high while dividends are low. Since the stock price is low compared with invested capital but high in respect to expected revenues, it means that the company has more invested capital than peers for generating the same amount of revenue. Since profits are higher, it could be a "cash cow" situation (using the classic Boston Consulting BCG matrix naming convention) where the company is on a downward trend, still living from the profits of past products. As the company pays low dividends, it may harbor the opinion that a turnaround is possible, and it rather invests the cash than pay it out to shareholders, thus sealing the company's fate early. Any investment optimism should only be a buy trigger once thorough research is completed. ...read more
Growth Strategy: HSBC Growth Momentum low
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 27 (better than 27% compared with alternatives), HSBC shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four metrics below average for HSBC. While Profit Growth has a good rank of 65, as professionals currently expect the company to grow its profits more than 65% of its competitors, all other growth indicators are below market averages. Sales Growth has a rank of 34, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 66% of its competitors, while Capital Growth has a rank of 25 and Stock Returns have been below market median, with a rank of 43 (57% of alternative investments were better). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 27, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. While revenue growth and capital growth are good growth momentum indicators, profit is less reliable, because profits may increase due to cost-cutting measures which typically indicate negative growth momentum. "You can save a dollar only once" is the saying about such situations. Growth Investors should look at company priorities closely if they are interested in growth, because the increase in profits is not usually an indicator of growth, and stock prices have been below market, too. ...read more
Safety Strategy: HSBC Debt Financing Safety above-average
| SAFETY METRICS | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 65 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 81 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 28 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 61 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), the company HSBC has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of HSBC is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators where two out of three are above average for HSBC.Leverage is at 65, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 65% of its competitors.Refinancing is at a rank of 81, meaning that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. Liquidity is at 28, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 72% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side regarding debt service. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), HSBC has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. Low leverage and low refinancing risk mean a safer financing situation. However, low liquidity means that current company cash flows are low in relation to the level of debt. This is a sign of caution in case it is expected for profits to remain low. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: HSBC Above-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | February 1, 2024 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 57 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 27 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 28 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 51 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 51 (better than 51% compared with investment alternatives), HSBC (Diversified Banks, United Kingdom) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of HSBC are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 57 (better than 57% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 61, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 27). ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 51, is a buy recommendation based on HSBC's financial characteristics. As the company HSBC's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 57) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 27) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 61), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 57% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. ...read more
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