Centiva Capital LP Boosts Stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Centiva Capital LP increased its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 147.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 33,299 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,839 shares during the quarter. Centiva Capital LP's holdings in H&R Block were worth $2,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,936,829 shares of the company's stock worth $313,735,000 after purchasing an additional 255,354 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 52.2% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,738,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,492,000 after buying an additional 939,270 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 1.0% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,484,417 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,726,000 after buying an additional 23,792 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 39.7% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,131,451 shares of the company's stock worth $115,418,000 after acquiring an additional 606,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 1,630.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 777,264 shares of the company's stock worth $49,395,000 after acquiring an additional 732,359 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of H&R Block stock traded down $1.25 on Tuesday, reaching $57.86. 770,566 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,200,176. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.93 billion, a PE ratio of 14.42, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $60.66 and a 200 day moving average of $58.11. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.28 and a 52 week high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by ($0.04). H&R Block had a net margin of 16.19% and a negative return on equity of 212.45%. The firm 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 firm earned ($1.05) earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.59%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.59%.

H&R Block announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, August 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on HRB shares. Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a report on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Activity 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This represents a 30.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About H&R Block

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.