H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Holdings Boosted by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB - Free Report) by 36.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,585,026 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 695,581 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 1.89% of H&R Block worth $136,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 658 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in H&R Block by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 838 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.14% of the company's stock.

H&R Block Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE HRB traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.65. The company had a trading volume of 1,358,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,380,223. H&R Block, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $48.23 and a fifty-two week high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm's 50 day moving average is $57.10 and its 200 day moving average is $56.08.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $5.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.26. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.25 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.94 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.60%. H&R Block's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Northcoast Research lowered H&R Block from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of H&R Block from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target 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. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Friday, April 25th.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 844,790 shares in the company, valued at $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.