Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Lowers Stock Holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership trimmed its position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 4.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,029,354 shares of the company’s stock after selling 49,130 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned approximately 0.68% of H&R Block worth $32,806,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in H&R Block by 6.7% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 114,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,053,000 after purchasing an additional 7,192 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board grew its position in H&R Block by 12.4% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 28,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $994,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP bought a new position in H&R Block during the first quarter valued at approximately $2,940,000. Ziegler Capital Management LLC bought a new position in H&R Block during the first quarter valued at approximately $968,000. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in H&R Block during the first quarter valued at approximately $251,000. 90.89% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of H&R Block stock opened at $45.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 46.44, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.80. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.83 and a 52-week high of $46.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.99, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $42.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.68.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $183.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $182.06 million. H&R Block had a net margin of 16.07% and a negative return on equity of 244.61%. The business’s revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.99) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 4.17 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 5th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 4th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on HRB shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of H&R Block from $28.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of H&R Block from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 12th. Finally, Barrington Research raised their target price on shares of H&R Block from $44.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 8th.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In related news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction on Monday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $316,880.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 27,721 shares in the company, valued at $1,098,028.81. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

H&R Block Company 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.