H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 54.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 200,392 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,501 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned about 0.15% of H&R Block worth $10,589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HRB. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in H&R Block by 5.5% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in H&R Block by 64.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 5.4% in the third quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,586 shares of the company’s stock worth $355,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in shares of H&R Block by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Price Performance

NYSE HRB opened at $53.21 on Monday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $44.81 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a net margin of 14.71% and a negative return on equity of 179.15%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is 41.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HRB has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised H&R Block from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

H&R Block Profile

H&R Block, Inc engages in the provision of tax return preparation solutions, financial products and small business solutions. The company was founded by Henry W. Bloch and Richard A. Bloch on January 25, 1955, and is headquartered in Kansas City, MO.