H&R Block (HRB) Competitors

Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) and H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) are both specialized consumer services companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation, profitability, risk, earnings, dividends and media sentiment.

Is HI or HRB more profitable?

H&R Block has a net margin of 16.11% compared to Hillenbrand's net margin of -0.63%. Hillenbrand's return on equity of 13.53% beat H&R Block's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Hillenbrand	-0.63%	13.53%	3.82%
H&R Block	16.11%	-191.38%	21.86%

Do insiders and institutionals believe in HI or HRB?

89.1% of Hillenbrand shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.1% of H&R Block shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.0% of Hillenbrand shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of H&R Block shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is HI or HRB a better dividend stock?

Hillenbrand pays an annual dividend of $0.90 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. H&R Block pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Hillenbrand pays out -360.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. H&R Block pays out 37.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Hillenbrand has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years and H&R Block has raised its dividend for 9 consecutive years. Hillenbrand is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, HI or HRB?

Hillenbrand has a beta of 1.46, meaning that its share price is 46% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, H&R Block has a beta of 0.31, meaning that its share price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate HI or HRB?

Hillenbrand currently has a consensus target price of $32.00, indicating a potential upside of 21.77%. H&R Block has a consensus target price of $55.00, indicating a potential upside of 8.84%. Given Hillenbrand's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Hillenbrand is more favorable than H&R Block.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Hillenbrand	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
H&R Block	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.20

Which has higher earnings and valuation, HI or HRB?

H&R Block has higher revenue and earnings than Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than H&R Block, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Hillenbrand	$2.86B	0.65	-$211M	-$0.25	-105.12
H&R Block	$3.76B	1.72	$605.77M	$4.47	11.31

Does the media favor HI or HRB?

In the previous week, Hillenbrand and Hillenbrand both had 5 articles in the media. Hillenbrand's average media sentiment score of 0.46 beat H&R Block's score of -0.09 indicating that Hillenbrand is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Hillenbrand	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
H&R Block	0 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	4 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Summary

Hillenbrand beats H&R Block on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.