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HSBC vs. UBS: HSBC vs. UBS Stock Comparison

How do HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS) share the Financials sector but sit in different industry groups — HSBC in Banks and UBS in Financial Services.

UBS (UBS) trades as ordinary local shares, while HSBC (HSBC) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
Profile ItemHSBCUBS
NameHSBC Holdings plc Sponsored ADRUBS Group AG
Country/RegionUnited KingdomSwitzerland
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupBanksFinancial Services
GICS IndustryBanksCapital Markets
GICS Sub-IndustryDiversified BanksDiversified Capital Markets
Market Capitalization297.66 billion USD144.79 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateJuly 16, 1999May 16, 2000
Security TypeADRCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

HSBC
UBS
GSPC
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Total Return (1Y)32.02%30.78%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)43.61%29.39%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)33.35%25.00%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

HSBC
UBS
GSPC
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.54%27.78%
Beta (5Y)0.541.15
Max Drawdown (5Y)-31.80%-32.48%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.58M1.93M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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HSBC and UBS are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.970.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.521.44

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: HSBC (HSBC) earns 14.22% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; UBS (UBS) has no ROE this period.

HSBC

Banks industry group

14.22%

Max
19.84%
HSBC
14.22%
Q3
13.67%
Median
11.49%
Q1
9.50%
Min
3.64%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

--

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%
UBS
--
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): UBS does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; HSBC is benchmarked against the Banks industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

HSBC (HSBC) at 41.16% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of UBS (UBS) at 18.18%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

HSBC

Banks industry group

41.16%

Max
47.19%
HSBC
41.16%
Q3
35.25%
Median
31.21%
Q1
27.11%
Min
14.93%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

18.18%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
UBS
18.18%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

UBS (UBS) reports operating margin of 27.10%; HSBC (HSBC) doesn’t report a comparable line — in Banks, funding costs sit inside the core business rather than below an operating line, so profitability is better judged on net margin or ROE.

HSBC

Banks industry group

--

HSBC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

UBS

Financial Services industry group

27.10%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
Median
30.09%
UBS
27.10%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): HSBC’s operating margin is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for UBS only.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
ROE (TTM)14.22%--
ROA (TTM)0.84%--
Net Margin (TTM)41.16%18.18%
Operating Margin (TTM)--27.10%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

UBS (UBS) at 4.30% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while HSBC (HSBC) at 5.38% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

UBS (UBS) at 55.26% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while HSBC (HSBC) at -3.23% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.38%4.30%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.75%12.44%
EPS Growth (YoY)-3.23%55.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)17.49%1.60%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: HSBC (HSBC) in Banks and UBS (UBS) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: HSBC (HSBC) in Banks and UBS (UBS) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

UBS (UBS) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile HSBC (HSBC) reports a yield of 0.86%, ranking against industry peers normally.

HSBC

Banks industry group

0.86%

Max
5.79%
Q3
3.18%
Median
2.39%
Q1
1.20%
HSBC
0.86%
Min
0.00%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
UBS
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

UBS (UBS) at 36.30% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while HSBC (HSBC) at 53.57% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

HSBC

Banks industry group

53.57%

Max
70.75%
HSBC
53.57%
Q3
41.28%
Median
29.26%
Q1
18.98%
Min
0.00%

UBS

Financial Services industry group

36.30%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
UBS
36.30%
Median
25.77%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.86%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)53.57%36.30%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both HSBC (HSBC) at 11.38 and UBS (UBS) at 15.77 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

HSBC

Banks industry group

11.38

Max
18.16
Q3
13.75
Median
11.81
HSBC
11.38
Q1
10.64
Min
6.49

UBS

Financial Services industry group

15.77

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
UBS
15.77
Median
15.37
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

UBS (UBS) shows P/S ratio of 2.71; for HSBC (HSBC) the multiple is skipped — in Banks, income is dominated by interest spread rather than a conventional revenue line, so pricing per dollar of sales loses meaning and book- or earnings-based multiples carry the comparison.

HSBC

Banks industry group

--

HSBC
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

UBS

Financial Services industry group

2.71

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
Median
2.72
UBS
2.71
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): HSBC’s P/S ratio is not assessed under the Banks industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for UBS only.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

UBS (UBS) at 1.64 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while HSBC (HSBC) at 6.87 prices above its benchmark range — HSBC looks rich relative to book.

HSBC

Banks industry group

6.87

HSBC
6.87
Max
2.28
Q3
1.58
Median
1.32
Q1
1.10
Min
0.59

UBS

Financial Services industry group

1.64

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
UBS
1.64
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39
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HSBC (HSBC) vs. UBS (UBS): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Banks and Financial Services industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for HSBC (HSBC) and UBS (UBS)
MetricHSBCUBS
P/E Ratio (TTM)11.3815.77
P/S Ratio (TTM)--2.71
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.871.64
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----