Simplicity Solutions LLC Takes Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Simplicity Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 7,089 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $343,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 13.9% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,889,986 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,444,000 after acquiring an additional 961,159 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 0.7% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 5,944,998 shares of the company’s stock valued at $154,807,000 after buying an additional 40,977 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 3.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,844,387 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,539,000 after buying an additional 118,329 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 110.5% during the third quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,768,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,208,000 after buying an additional 1,453,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 11.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,263,893 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,259,000 after buying an additional 228,156 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 85,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.21, for a total transaction of $4,228,172.41. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 755,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,171,216.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.20% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Trading Up 0.6 %

HRB stock opened at $46.86 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.19. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.83 and a 1-year high of $52.90. The stock has a market cap of $6.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.91, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.70.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The company reported ($1.27) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.58) by $0.31. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 227.22% and a net margin of 16.98%. The business had revenue of $179.10 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $169.45 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.37) earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 4.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 5th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 4th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on HRB shares. StockNews.com raised H&R Block from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on H&R Block from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th.

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.