First Trust Advisors LP Sells 39,179 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 389,955 shares of the company's stock after selling 39,179 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.29% of H&R Block worth $20,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in H&R Block by 52.6% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 838 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Price Performance

NYSE:HRB opened at $59.78 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The firm has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company's 50-day moving average price is $55.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.17.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) 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 analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block's payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on HRB shares. StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total transaction of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 844,790 shares in the company, valued at $53,458,311.20. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.

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