UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Boosts Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 29.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 698,101 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 156,856 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $44,364,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of HRB. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of H&R Block by 606.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter worth $34,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 2,756.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 689 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

H&R Block Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE HRB opened at $58.15 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.11. H&R Block, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.28 and a twelve month high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.66.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.13) by ($0.04). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 212.45% and a net margin of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $193.81 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.78 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($1.05) EPS. Research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, August 15th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other H&R Block news, VP Kellie J. Logerwell sold 8,000 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.41, for a total value of $515,280.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,474 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,189,910.34. The trade was a 30.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HRB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Friday, November 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of H&R Block from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 16th.

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.