H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Given "Outperform" Rating at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has a $70.00 price target on the stock.

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

H&R Block Stock Performance

H&R Block stock traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $60.62. The company had a trading volume of 1,740,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,361,063. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. H&R Block has a 12-month low of $46.46 and a 12-month high of $68.45. The company's fifty day moving average is $55.48 and its 200-day moving average is $56.14. The company has a market capitalization of $8.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last announced 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 negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. Equities research analysts predict that H&R Block will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.32%.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other H&R Block news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 844,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H&R Block

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in 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 during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 52.6% during the 4th 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. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.