H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Bought by Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 5.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,936,829 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 255,354 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $313,735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in 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 during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of H&R Block by 4,152.9% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of HRB opened at $58.29 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $61.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.62. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.28 and a 12-month high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (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 business 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) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

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

H&R Block announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, August 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other H&R Block news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. 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.