H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Position Trimmed by Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 49.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 34,156 shares of the company's stock after selling 33,036 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of HRB. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 1,552.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the period. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of H&R Block by 87.0% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 750 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 844,790 shares in the company, valued at $53,458,311.20. The trade was a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

H&R Block Trading Up 0.8%

HRB traded up $0.49 on Friday, reaching $58.24. 1,049,395 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,386,272. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $48.78 and a one year high of $68.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.81. The company has a market cap of $7.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.26. H&R Block had a net margin of 14.71% and a negative return on equity of 179.15%. The business had revenue of $2.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $4.94 EPS. H&R Block's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. H&R Block's payout ratio is currently 36.76%.

About H&R Block

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.