H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Stake Trimmed by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc lessened its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 283,643 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,789 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.21% of H&R Block worth $14,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,253,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $753,143,000 after acquiring an additional 35,945 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,219,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,796,000 after purchasing an additional 282,633 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,500,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $237,814,000 after buying an additional 1,660,319 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,735,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,527,000 after buying an additional 476,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in H&R Block by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,050,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,358,000 after buying an additional 232,095 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HRB opened at $61.51 on Wednesday. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $45.87 and a one year high of $68.45. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $53.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. Analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on HRB shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

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.