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

Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 10.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 52,170 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,027 shares during the quarter. Mariner LLC's holdings in H&R Block were worth $2,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth approximately $437,000. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 12,824 shares of the company's stock worth $678,000 after acquiring an additional 1,969 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 24,572 shares of the company's stock worth $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 1,460 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 109,456 shares of the company's stock worth $5,784,000 after acquiring an additional 2,241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scotia Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth $489,000. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

H&R Block Price Performance

HRB opened at $60.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.90 and a 200-day moving average of $56.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.87 and a 12-month high of $68.45.

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

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.50%. 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 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 directly owns 844,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in 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 reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

H&R Block 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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