H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Purchased by Algert Global LLC

Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 413.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,110 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 58,057 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC owned 0.05% of H&R Block worth $4,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 606.1% in the third quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in H&R Block in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in H&R Block during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in H&R Block by 4,152.9% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares during the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HRB has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of 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, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

H&R Block Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HRB traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $59.57. 2,412,558 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,202,014. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $61.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.89. The firm has a market cap of $8.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.77. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.13) by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $193.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.05) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

H&R Block declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, August 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $515,280.00. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total value of $613,166.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 893,169 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

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.