Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 12,253 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. $HRB

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in H&R Block by 89.6%, acquiring an additional 12,253 shares, bringing its total to 25,922 shares worth approximately $1.42 million.
• H&R Block reported earnings of $2.27 per share, missing expectations of $2.81, despite a year-over-year revenue increase of 4.6%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.42, representing a 3.3% yield, with an increase from its previous dividend of $0.38.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 89.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,922 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,253 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in H&R Block were worth $1,423,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HRB. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 293.0% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 17,134 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $306,000. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 8.9% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,345,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,922,000 after purchasing an additional 191,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new stake in H&R Block during the 4th quarter worth approximately $402,000. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HRB has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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 report on Wednesday, August 13th. Barrington Research cut 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 report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of H&R Block from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of H&R Block from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $55.00.

H&R Block Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:HRB traded up $0.02 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $50.37. The company had a trading volume of 2,275,230 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,082,017. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $53.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.46. The company has a market capitalization of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 11.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.26. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $47.00 and a one year high of $64.90.

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). The company had revenue of $1.11 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. H&R Block had a net margin of 16.11% and a negative return on equity of 191.38%. The business's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.89 EPS. H&R Block has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.850-5.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.42 per share. 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.