Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Grows Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 510.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,179 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,383 shares during the quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HRB. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in H&R Block in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 1,552.2% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 129.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 87.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new position in H&R Block in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,000. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at H&R Block

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 844,790 shares in the company, valued at $53,458,311.20. This represents a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

H&R Block Stock Performance

NYSE HRB traded up $0.46 on Friday, reaching $54.78. The stock had a trading volume of 2,664,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,393,827. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.16 and a 12-month high of $68.45. The business's 50-day moving average price is $57.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.51. The stock has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.25.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.94 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.