Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Sells 20,203 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. $HRB

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group Inc. reduced its stake in H&R Block by 2.6% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 0.56% of the company, worth around $40.9 million.
• H&R Block recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $2.27 for the quarter, missing estimates by $0.54, while revenue increased by 4.6% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42 per share, increasing the annualized dividend yield to 3.3%, indicative of its ongoing commitment to return value to shareholders.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 2.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 744,117 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,203 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. owned about 0.56% of H&R Block worth $40,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of H&R Block by 36.8% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,585,026 shares of the company's stock valued at $136,591,000 after acquiring an additional 695,581 shares in the last quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY acquired a new stake in H&R Block during the first quarter worth about $30,429,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in H&R Block by 88.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 914,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,342,000 after buying an additional 429,101 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in H&R Block by 11.2% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,608,496 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,233,000 after purchasing an additional 263,274 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in H&R Block by 52.2% in the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 735,757 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,400,000 after acquiring an additional 252,185 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HRB traded down $0.25 on Friday, reaching $51.13. 1,837,926 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,307,979. H&R Block, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.00 and a fifty-two week high of $64.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.86. The business's 50-day moving average is $53.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.44, a PEG ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.26.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released 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). The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 191.38% and a net margin of 16.11%.The business's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. H&R Block has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.850-5.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be given a $0.42 dividend. This is a boost from H&R Block's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

H&R Block Company 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.