Vanguard Group Inc. Has $778.02 Million Stock Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,168,986 shares of the company's stock after selling 84,290 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.59% of H&R Block worth $778,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its holdings in H&R Block by 42.9% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 666 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 129.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 87.0% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at about $85,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 3,142.9% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,270 shares of the company's stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Trading Up 1.6%

H&R Block stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $50.15. 2,422,271 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,499,851. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.68. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.00 and a 52 week high of $68.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.71 billion, a PE ratio of 11.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.86.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative return on equity of 191.38% and a net margin of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.89 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. This is an increase 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 33.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research reduced their target price on shares of H&R Block from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Northcoast Research lowered shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of H&R Block from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of H&R Block from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th.

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.