NewEdge Advisors LLC Buys 2,911 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,585 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,911 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HRB. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in H&R Block by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,253,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $753,143,000 after purchasing an additional 35,945 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,219,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $275,796,000 after buying an additional 282,633 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 58.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in H&R Block by 21.1% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in H&R Block by 12.8% in the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,050,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,358,000 after acquiring an additional 232,095 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

H&R Block Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of H&R Block stock opened at $60.03 on Wednesday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.87 and a 12-month high of $68.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $54.90 and its 200-day moving average is $56.23. The stock has a market cap of $8.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 14.71% and a negative return on equity of 179.15%. Equities research analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at H&R Block

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total transaction of $3,405,096.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 844,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HRB. StockNews.com downgraded shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research note 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.