H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Trading Down 5.8% – Here’s What Happened

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)’s share price fell 5.8% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $50.62 and last traded at $50.28. 1,344,803 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 7% from the average session volume of 1,258,181 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.35.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

H&R Block Trading Down 5.7 %

The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.75 and a 200 day moving average of $57.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.86, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 14.71% and a negative return on equity of 179.15%. As a group, research analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H&R Block

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Spire Wealth Management bought a new position in H&R Block in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of H&R Block in the third quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About H&R Block

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.