Strategy Asset Managers LLC Purchases New Shares in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Strategy Asset Managers LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,864 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $246,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 4,152.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC raised its position in H&R Block by 2,756.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at H&R Block

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $56,332,168.83. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $515,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,910.34. This trade represents a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

H&R Block Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of HRB opened at $56.87 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $61.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.62. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.28 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.87, a PEG 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 (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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.05) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, August 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

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

H&R Block 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.