H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC cut its position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 89.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 510,300 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC's holdings in H&R Block were worth $3,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HRB. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 3rd quarter worth $201,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter valued at $169,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 70.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,239,000 after acquiring an additional 8,036 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of H&R Block by 29.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 250,280 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,179,000 after buying an additional 57,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DGS Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 7.5% in the third quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,251 shares of the company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on HRB. Barrington Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

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.

H&R Block Trading Up 1.5 %

HRB traded up $0.87 on Monday, reaching $60.56. 687,144 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,357,107. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $46.46 and a one year high of $68.45. The company has a market cap of $8.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.32%.

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.