H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Bought by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 39.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,131,451 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 606,250 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 1.53% of H&R Block worth $115,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in H&R Block by 4,152.9% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 2,756.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. StockNews.com lowered H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HRB traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $63.64. 1,004,777 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,167,693. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.66. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.20 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company has a 50 day moving average of $60.84 and a 200-day moving average of $53.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.05 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.22 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. This is a positive change from H&R Block's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.32%.

H&R Block declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Thursday, August 15th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 16.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Tony G. Bowen sold 79,259 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total transaction of $5,165,309.03. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,871,491.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Tony G. Bowen sold 79,259 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total value of $5,165,309.03. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,095 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,871,491.15. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 44,975 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.55, for a total transaction of $2,453,386.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 712,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $38,860,656.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 160,902 shares of company stock valued at $9,970,442 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

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.