Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB – Get Rating) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 614,153 shares of the company’s stock after selling 68,939 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $22,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 56.8% during the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 955 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Ellevest Inc. increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 87.5% during the third quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 2,064 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 77.9% during the fourth quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,000 after acquiring an additional 911 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Barrington Research reduced their target price on shares of H&R Block from $48.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Wednesday, May 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of H&R Block from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th.

H&R Block Stock Performance

NYSE HRB opened at $29.62 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $33.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.18. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.14 and a 52-week high of $48.76. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 9.97, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 0.67.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 9th. The company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.46 by ($0.26). H&R Block had a net margin of 13.59% and a negative return on equity of 284.65%. The business had revenue of $2.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.11 earnings per share. H&R Block’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 6th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.92%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.06%.

H&R Block Company Profile

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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.