Empowered Funds LLC Has $10.59 Million Stock Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 54.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 200,392 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 70,501 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $10,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its stake in H&R Block by 1,630.9% in the third quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 777,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,395,000 after buying an additional 732,359 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,552,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in H&R Block by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,735,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,527,000 after acquiring an additional 476,892 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in H&R Block by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,936,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,735,000 after purchasing an additional 255,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in H&R Block by 105.7% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 473,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,999,000 after purchasing an additional 243,100 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

H&R Block Price Performance

NYSE:HRB opened at $53.21 on Monday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.81 and a 52 week high of $68.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.71. The firm has a market cap of $7.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.69.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 41.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HRB has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com upgraded H&R Block from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

H&R Block Profile

H&R Block, Inc engages in the provision of tax return preparation solutions, financial products and small business solutions. The company was founded by Henry W. Bloch and Richard A. Bloch on January 25, 1955, and is headquartered in Kansas City, MO.