StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on H&R Block (NYSE:HRB)

Analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of H&R Block (NYSE:HRB – Get Rating) in a report released on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the stock.

HRB has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of H&R Block from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HRB opened at $34.79 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.03, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.74 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $37.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.24. H&R Block has a 52-week low of $23.65 and a 52-week high of $48.76.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The company reported ($1.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.48) by $0.11. H&R Block had a net margin of 14.57% and a negative return on equity of 337.61%. The company had revenue of $166.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $151.64 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.02) EPS. H&R Block’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that H&R Block will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H&R Block

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Absolute Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. Belmont Capital LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in H&R Block by 56.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Company Profile

(Get Rating)

H&R Block, Inc engages in the provision of tax preparation and other services. The firm offers assisted income tax return preparation and related services through a system of retail offices operated directly by the company or by franchisees. It also develops and markets DIY income tax preparation software online, as well as through third-party retail stores and direct mail, and provides DIY tax services, including federal and state income tax returns, access to tax tips, advice, and tax-related news, use of calculators for tax planning, and error checking and electronic filing.