Royce & Associates LP Reduces Holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Royce & Associates LP lowered its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 156,056 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,500 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.11% of H&R Block worth $8,246,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the third quarter worth $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in H&R Block in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in H&R Block by 64.5% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

H&R Block Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HRB opened at $52.04 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1-year low of $45.87 and a 1-year high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share (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, equities analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 41.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on HRB. 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 downgraded shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

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.