World Investment Advisors Takes $261,000 Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,757 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of H&R Block by 129.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,508 shares of the company's stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of H&R Block by 1,552.2% in 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 during the period. GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings 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 worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter worth approximately $85,000. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring 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 Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of HRB stock opened at $56.79 on Friday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12-month low of $49.16 and a 12-month high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.92, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $56.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.57.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.26. H&R Block had a net margin of 15.20% and a negative return on equity of 179.57%. The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.94 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th were issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 4th. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Friday, April 25th. 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. Northcoast Research lowered shares of H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of H&R Block from $49.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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