Aurora Investment Counsel Invests $2.97 Million in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Aurora Investment Counsel acquired a new stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 56,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,969,000. H&R Block accounts for about 1.6% of Aurora Investment Counsel's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HRB. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in H&R Block by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 36,006 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,903,000 after acquiring an additional 10,113 shares in the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in H&R Block by 46.7% in the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 374,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,532,000 after acquiring an additional 119,200 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in H&R Block by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 274,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,505,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in H&R Block by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 6,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in H&R Block by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,202 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

H&R Block Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of H&R Block stock traded down $0.09 on Tuesday, reaching $52.04. 1,586,782 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,189,157. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $45.87 and a one year high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $53.54 and a 200 day moving average of $57.47.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is 41.32%.

H&R Block Company Profile

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.