Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Takes Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 66,125 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,202,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 11.8% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,295,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,081,000 after purchasing an additional 558,076 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 30.2% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,270,919 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,614,000 after acquiring an additional 758,827 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,738,190 shares of the company's stock worth $148,492,000 after purchasing an additional 939,270 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,484,417 shares of the company's stock worth $134,726,000 after purchasing an additional 23,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in H&R Block by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,131,451 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,418,000 after purchasing an additional 606,250 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Trading Down 6.6 %

NYSE HRB traded down $4.18 on Friday, reaching $59.18. The company had a trading volume of 2,518,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,073,137. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.98 and a 52 week high of $68.45. The stock has a market cap of $8.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's 50 day moving average is $62.09 and its 200-day moving average is $56.98.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.03 billion. H&R Block had a net margin of 16.49% and a negative return on equity of 220.05%. H&R Block's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.05 EPS. Equities analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.53%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.55%.

H&R Block declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, August 15th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HRB. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at $1,189,910.34. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total value of $613,166.54. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 893,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,332,168.83. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,474 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 115,927 shares of company stock valued at $7,517,056. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

H&R Block 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.