KBC Group NV Sells 15,024 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

KBC Group NV cut its stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 80.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,560 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,024 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in H&R Block were worth $226,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 42.3% during the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 49,650 shares of the company's stock worth $2,438,000 after purchasing an additional 14,760 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 270.7% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 16,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $885,000 after acquiring an additional 11,917 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 576.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 580,227 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,496,000 after acquiring an additional 494,457 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in H&R Block by 24.5% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 94,270 shares of the company's stock worth $4,629,000 after acquiring an additional 18,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new position in H&R Block during the first quarter valued at approximately $10,581,000. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective 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.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HRB traded up $0.53 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.93. 910,966 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,179,696. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.67 billion, a PE ratio of 13.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.67. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.28 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $61.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.64.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.78 million. H&R Block had a net margin of 16.19% and a negative return on equity of 212.45%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.05) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.68%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.59%.

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 repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at H&R Block

In related news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total transaction of $515,280.00. Following 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 30.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 9,722 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.07, for a total transaction of $613,166.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 893,169 shares of the company's stock, valued at $56,332,168.83. This represents a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate 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.