Scotia Capital Inc. Purchases Shares of 9,262 H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Scotia Capital Inc. purchased a new position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 9,262 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $489,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in H&R Block by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,982 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,147,000 after purchasing an additional 2,803 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its stake in H&R Block by 1.5% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 64,969 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,129,000 after acquiring an additional 988 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of H&R Block by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 5,599 shares of the company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of H&R Block by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,878 shares of the company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in H&R Block in the third quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Price Performance

H&R Block stock traded up $0.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $63.03. 2,141,849 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,347,916. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $54.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $45.87 and a one year high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a net margin of 14.71% and a negative return on equity of 179.15%. On average, equities analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.32%.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other H&R Block news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 844,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $53,458,311.20. The trade was a 5.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HRB shares. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th.

About H&R Block

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.