H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 18.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 296,509 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,229 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $15,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in H&R Block by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 58,628 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after buying an additional 12,390 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,821,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in H&R Block by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,219,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,796,000 after buying an additional 282,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth $10,725,000. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

H&R Block Price Performance

HRB stock opened at $54.68 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.50. H&R Block, Inc. has a 52-week low of $45.87 and a 52-week high of $68.45.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.59) by ($0.14). H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 179.15% and a net margin of 14.71%. Equities research analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th were paid a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on HRB shares. StockNews.com downgraded H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

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.