H&R Block’s (HRB) “Outperform” Rating Reaffirmed at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reiterated their outperform rating on shares of H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $70.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

H&R Block Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE HRB opened at $59.78 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $55.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.14. H&R Block has a 52-week low of $46.46 and a 52-week high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that H&R Block will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 41.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at H&R Block

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 844,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of H&R Block

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of H&R Block in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in H&R Block in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in H&R Block by 64.5% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its holdings in H&R Block by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About H&R Block

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.