H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Acquired by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 1,628.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,341 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,627 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in H&R Block by 4,152.9% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HRB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other H&R Block news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total transaction of $613,166.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 893,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,332,168.83. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This trade represents a 30.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Price Performance

Shares of HRB opened at $56.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $61.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. H&R Block, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.28 and a twelve month high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.13) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.78 million. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 212.45% and a net margin of 16.19%. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($1.05) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

H&R Block announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, August 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides assisted income tax return preparation and do-it-yourself (DIY) tax return preparation services and products to the general public primarily in the United States, Canada, and Australia. It offers assisted income tax return preparation and related services through a system of retail offices operated directly by the company or its franchisees.