Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in H&R Block, Inc. $HRB

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has acquired a new stake in H&R Block, buying 20,320 shares valued at approximately $1,116,000.
• H&R Block reported earnings per share of $2.27 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.54, but revenue of $1.11 billion surpassed expectations.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.42 per share, representing a yield of 3.2% and reflecting a payout ratio of 37.58%.

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 20,320 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,116,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in H&R Block by 72.1% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 513 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in H&R Block by 42.9% during the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 666 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in H&R Block by 21.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,356 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in 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 period. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth $85,000. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of H&R Block from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Barrington Research dropped their target price on H&R Block from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research downgraded H&R Block from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on H&R Block from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Northcoast Research downgraded H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $55.00.

H&R Block Price Performance

HRB stock traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $49.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,441,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,508,775. The company has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $54.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.49. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1-year low of $47.00 and a 1-year high of $64.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.86, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported $2.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($0.54). The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 191.38% and a net margin of 16.11%.The firm's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.89 EPS. H&R Block has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.850-5.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th will be issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 4th. This is a boost from H&R Block's previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.56%.

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.