H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Sold by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board trimmed its holdings in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,969 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,128 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in H&R Block by 606.1% in 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. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in H&R Block by 2,756.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Stock Performance

NYSE:HRB opened at $56.87 on Friday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.28 and a 52 week high of $68.45. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $61.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.62. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The company has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.67.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued 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 analysts’ expectations 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 quarter last year, the company earned ($1.05) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.64%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 36.59%.

Insider Transactions at H&R Block

In other news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $515,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This represents a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 893,169 shares in the company, valued at $56,332,168.83. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HRB has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

H&R Block Company 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.