Hancock Whitney Corp Lowers Position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Hancock Whitney Corp trimmed its position in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 23.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,944 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,718 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $631,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in H&R Block by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 337,931 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,856,000 after buying an additional 7,171 shares in the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of H&R Block by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,701,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,448,000 after purchasing an additional 523,353 shares in the last quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. raised its holdings in H&R Block by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Pinebridge Investments L.P. now owns 44,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 11,604 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in H&R Block by 293.0% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 22,981 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 17,134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in H&R Block by 280.0% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 11,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 8,659 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jeffrey J. Jones II sold 53,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.28, for a total value of $3,405,096.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 844,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,458,311.20. This trade represents a 5.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on HRB shares. StockNews.com downgraded H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a report on Friday.

H&R Block Price Performance

NYSE:HRB opened at $59.78 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $55.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.17. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.46 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The firm has a market cap of $8.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS 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%. On average, analysts expect that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.32%.

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.