H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Bought by Caxton Associates LP

Caxton Associates LP lifted its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 280.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,497 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,117 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LP's holdings in H&R Block were worth $2,142,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 1.0% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 24,467 shares of the company's stock worth $1,327,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in H&R Block by 54.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 71,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,892,000 after purchasing an additional 25,225 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 150.6% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 87,618 shares of the company's stock worth $4,751,000 after buying an additional 52,654 shares in the last quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP increased its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 14.2% in the second quarter. Blue Whale Capital LLP now owns 742,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,266,000 after purchasing an additional 92,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in H&R Block by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 310,567 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,842,000 after buying an additional 3,553 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HRB. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a report on Wednesday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased 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 lowered H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Tony G. Bowen sold 79,259 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total value of $5,165,309.03. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,871,491.15. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other H&R Block news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 9,846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $639,990.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 25,028 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,626,820. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Tony G. Bowen sold 79,259 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total transaction of $5,165,309.03. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,095 shares in the company, valued at $5,871,491.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 160,902 shares of company stock worth $9,970,442. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Stock Performance

HRB traded up $0.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,312,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,168,322. The company has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.66. The company's fifty day moving average price is $60.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.85. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.20 and a 52-week high of $68.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.15. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 220.05% and a net margin of 16.49%. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.05 earnings per share. H&R Block's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. This is a boost from H&R Block's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.32%.

H&R Block declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program 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 programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About H&R Block

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.