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

KBC Group NV decreased its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 80.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,560 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,024 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $226,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. increased its stake in H&R Block by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 16,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC increased its position in H&R Block by 2.4% in the second quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company’s stock worth $469,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in H&R Block by 1.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 24,467 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC lifted its position in H&R Block by 1.6% during the third quarter. Axiom Advisory LLC now owns 18,048 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,076,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of H&R Block by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 15,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after buying an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the business’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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 Analysts Forecast Growth

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

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HRB opened at $55.39 on Wednesday. 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 12 month low of $42.28 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.51, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $61.54 and its 200 day moving average is $57.64.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $193.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($1.05) EPS. Research analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, August 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm 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 is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.71%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.