KBC Group NV Sells 15,024 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 80.8% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,560 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,024 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $226,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of HRB. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at $461,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in H&R Block during the third quarter valued at about $1,159,000. Versor Investments LP grew its stake in H&R Block by 102.4% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 31,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,027,000 after purchasing an additional 16,140 shares during the last quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC bought a new position in H&R Block in the third quarter worth about $228,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the third quarter valued at about $227,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other H&R Block news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This trade represents a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total value of $613,166.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 893,169 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,332,168.83. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

H&R Block Stock Down 8.2 %

NYSE:HRB opened at $55.39 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.64. The company has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.67. H&R Block, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.28 and a twelve month high of $68.45. 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 (NYSE:HRB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by ($0.04). H&R Block had a net margin of 16.19% and a negative return on equity of 212.45%. The firm had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.78 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.05) earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.71%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

H&R Block Company Profile

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.