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

Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 170.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 24,580 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,489 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,562,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC increased its position in H&R Block by 2,756.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of HRB traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $57.32. 926,112 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,645,096. The firm has a market cap of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $42.28 and a 12-month high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.13) by ($0.04). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 212.45% and a net margin of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.05) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued 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 2.62%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.59%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HRB has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "sell" 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, StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $515,280.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,474 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,910.34. This represents a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

H&R Block 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.