CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Makes New Investment in H&R Block, Inc. $HRB

Key Points

• CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired 8,460 shares of H&R Block, Inc., valued at approximately $465,000, during the 1st quarter, reflecting a growing institutional interest in the stock.
• H&R Block reported $2.27 earnings per share for their latest quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81, although quarterly revenue increased by 4.6% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.42 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous $0.38, with a yield of 3.3%.

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,460 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $465,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in H&R Block by 98.1% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 100,601 shares of the company's stock worth $5,667,000 after acquiring an additional 49,827 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in H&R Block by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 767,369 shares of the company's stock worth $42,136,000 after acquiring an additional 91,075 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in H&R Block by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 703,672 shares of the company's stock worth $38,639,000 after acquiring an additional 105,973 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,317,000. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in H&R Block by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 11,942 shares of the company's stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:HRB traded down $0.94 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.19. 1,345,195 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,956,695. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.86, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market cap of $6.86 billion, a PE ratio of 11.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.26. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $53.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.37. H&R Block, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.00 and a twelve month high of $64.90.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($0.54). H&R Block had a net margin of 16.11% and a negative return on equity of 191.38%. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. H&R Block has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.850-5.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. This is an increase from H&R Block's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of H&R Block from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of H&R Block from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Barrington Research decreased their price target on shares of H&R Block from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, H&R Block currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $55.00.

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.