Hong Kong stocks closed lower on Thursday, owing to weak performance of financial heavyweights.

The benchmark Hang Seng index closed down 151.68 points, or 0. 79 percent, to end at 19,025.27 points, after trading between a day low of 19,009.26 and a day high of 19,305.74 points.

Turnover totaled 41.95 billion HK dollars (about 5.41 billion U. S. dollars) compared with Wednesday's 40.65 billion HK dollars.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 124.84 points, or 1. 32 percent, to close at 9,336.38.

All the four sub-indices lost ground, with the Finance losing the most by 1.05 percent, followed by the Utilities 0.74 percent, the Properties 0.59 percent and the Commerce & Industry 0.54 percent.

Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, lost 0.37 percent to close at 68.15 HK dollars, and its local unit Hang Seng Bank moved down 0.10 percent to 105.4 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, fell 1.11 percent to 26.75 HK dollars.

As for Mainland-based financial stocks, China Construction Bank, the country's second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, lost 1.53 percent to 5. 15 HK dollars. ICBC, The world's largest bank by market value, went down 1.65 percent at 4.18 HK dollars. Bank of China fell 0.69 percent at 2.87 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, decreased 1.6 percent to 5.08 HK dollars.

Local developers also ended lower. Hang Lung Properties lost 0. 19 percent to 25.8 HK dollars. Henderson Land, one of the major developers in Hong Kong, fell 0.12 percent to 41.55 HK dollars. Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, went down 0.64 percent to 92.6 HK dollars.

As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec lost 1.03 percent to 6.73 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, fell 0.72 percent to 9.72 HK dollars.

Hengan Int'l was the best-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares rising 2.27 percent to 74.2 HK dollars.

China Coal was the worst-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares falling 2.87 percent to 6.09 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 7.76 HK dollars)