H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) gapped down before the market opened on Wednesday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $54.43, but opened at $51.63. H&R Block shares last traded at $53.94, with a volume of 60,738 shares trading hands.

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 16.19% and a negative return on equity of 212.45%.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is currently 36.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HRB shares. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of H&R Block from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On H&R Block

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HRB. Inceptionr LLC grew its holdings in H&R Block by 23.9% during the 4th quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 13,169 shares of the company’s stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 2,542 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $10,725,000. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 40,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,141,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,080,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in shares of H&R Block by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 39,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,611 shares during the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Down 0.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.20, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $54.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.71.

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.