Blue Whale Capital LLP Sells 231,018 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Blue Whale Capital LLP lessened its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 31.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 511,482 shares of the company’s stock after selling 231,018 shares during the quarter. H&R Block makes up about 2.5% of Blue Whale Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Blue Whale Capital LLP owned approximately 0.37% of H&R Block worth $32,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in H&R Block by 52.2% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,738,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,492,000 after buying an additional 939,270 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of H&R Block by 30.2% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,270,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $160,614,000 after purchasing an additional 758,827 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its position in shares of H&R Block by 1,630.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 777,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,395,000 after purchasing an additional 732,359 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 39.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,131,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,418,000 after purchasing an additional 606,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in H&R Block by 576.5% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 580,227 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,496,000 after purchasing an additional 494,457 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE:HRB opened at $58.30 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $61.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $57.81. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.28 and a 1-year high of $68.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $193.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.78 million. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 212.45% and a net margin of 16.19%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($1.05) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.57%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total transaction of $613,166.54. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 893,169 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,332,168.83. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,910.34. The trade was 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.

About H&R Block

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.