Alps Advisors Inc. Has $17.20 Million Stock Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Alps Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 4.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 313,312 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,518 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of H&R Block worth $17,204,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth about $2,080,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,725,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in H&R Block by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 20,196 shares of the company's stock worth $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in H&R Block by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 87,240 shares of the company's stock worth $4,738,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in H&R Block by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 47,716 shares of the company's stock worth $2,521,000 after acquiring an additional 28,082 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total transaction of $3,405,096.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 844,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on H&R Block from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Northcoast Research lowered H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised H&R Block from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

H&R Block Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE HRB traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $55.95. The company had a trading volume of 962,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,401,662. H&R Block, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $49.16 and a fifty-two week high of $68.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.60. The firm has a market cap of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.24.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.26. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.57% and a net margin of 15.20%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.94 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.76%.

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.