H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) VP Kellie J. Logerwell Sells 9,846 Shares

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 9,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $639,990.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 25,028 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,626,820. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

H&R Block Price Performance

H&R Block stock opened at $66.60 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.68. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $38.70 and a 12-month high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.74 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. H&R Block had a net margin of 17.87% and a negative return on equity of 224.81%. The business’s revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.05 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 4.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, September 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. This is a boost from H&R Block’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 5th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.32%.

H&R Block announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Thursday, August 15th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on HRB. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, August 16th.

Institutional Trading of H&R Block

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in H&R Block during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 4,152.9% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 723 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 2,756.0% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.