Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 6,552 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 308,659 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,552 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of H&R Block worth $16,948,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in H&R Block by 1,552.2% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,520 shares of the company's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,428 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 129.2% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in H&R Block by 87.0% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,612 shares of the company's stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in H&R Block during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $85,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in H&R Block by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Price Performance

Shares of HRB traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $54.89. The stock had a trading volume of 614,576 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,399,265. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52 week low of $49.16 and a 52 week high of $68.45. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $56.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $55.60. The company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.24.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.94 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th were given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.76%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 844,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. The trade was a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.