HSBC (LSE:HSBA): Assessing Valuation After Recent Share Price Pullback and Robust Year-to-Date Gains

Simply Wall St
HSBC Holdings (LSE:HSBA) shares have shown mixed performance over the past month, despite steady revenue and net income growth. Investors keeping an eye on UK banks may be curious about valuation trends as the stock trades close to its recent closing price.

See our latest analysis for HSBC Holdings.

HSBC Holdings has seen its share price pull back about 5% over the past month, despite a strong run earlier this year. Even with recent volatility, the bank’s year-to-date share price is up an impressive 23%, and the total shareholder return over the last year stands at a robust 50%. This signals that momentum, while recently tempered, has been significant for longer-term holders.

If HSBC’s performance has you looking for what’s next, consider broadening your search and discover fast growing stocks with high insider ownership

With strong momentum and positive earnings, the key question now is whether HSBC shares are undervalued or if the market is already factoring in all future growth, which could leave limited room for upside.

Most Popular Narrative: 3% Undervalued

HSBC Holdings' current share price is nearly identical to the consensus fair value, but the most-followed outlook suggests a slight discount remains. The narrative brings together future earnings growth, profitability projections, and the latest strategic developments to underpin its view.

The strategic shift away from underperforming and non-core businesses in Europe and the Americas, along with the redeployment of capital into high-return businesses in Asia and the Middle East, is expected to improve overall net interest margins and boost group return on equity through better allocation of resources. Increased investment in digital transformation, including AI-driven efficiency gains and digital onboarding, is expected to generate structural cost reductions (organizational simplification savings), directly improving the cost-to-income ratio and supporting long-term operating leverage and net margins.

Read the complete narrative.

What secret weapon is baked into this fair value? This narrative leans on rising margins, bold moves in wealth management, and future profit upgrades that insiders will want to watch. Want to see which financial assumptions are fueling this valuation optimism?

Result: Fair Value of $9.96 (UNDERVALUED)

Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts.

However, persistent weakness in Hong Kong’s commercial real estate sector, along with volatile global interest rates, could quickly undermine HSBC’s upbeat outlook.

Find out about the key risks to this HSBC Holdings narrative.

Another View: Market Ratios Send a Caution Signal

Looking through the lens of price-to-earnings, HSBC shares trade at 12.5 times earnings. This is significantly higher than both the European bank industry average of 9.7x and peer average of 9.6x, and it also exceeds the fair ratio of 9.3x. Such a valuation gap indicates the market is attaching a premium, which could pose downside risk if sentiment shifts. Will investors keep paying up for HSBC’s story?

See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

LSE:HSBA PE Ratio as at Oct 2025

Build Your Own HSBC Holdings Narrative

If you want to follow your own thread, you can use the same data to craft your own view in just a few minutes. Do it your way

A great starting point for your HSBC Holdings research is our analysis highlighting 2 key rewards and 3 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Valuation is complex, but we're here to simplify it.

Discover if HSBC Holdings might be undervalued or overvalued with our detailed analysis, featuring fair value estimates, potential risks, dividends, insider trades, and its financial condition.

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