Ascent Group LLC Sells 1,935 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Ascent Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,942 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,935 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% during the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of H&R Block by 2,756.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

H&R Block Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HRB opened at $58.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.11. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.28 and a 1 year high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 212.45% and a net margin of 16.19%. The company had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.78 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($1.05) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 36.59%.

H&R Block announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, August 15th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at H&R Block

In related news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,910.34. The trade was a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

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.