H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Shares Purchased by Bridgewater Associates LP

Bridgewater Associates LP raised its position in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 42.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 440,476 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 130,812 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $23,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in H&R Block by 18.5% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 2,803 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 5,599 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the 3rd quarter worth about $201,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in H&R Block in the third quarter valued at about $169,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 70.1% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,495 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,239,000 after buying an additional 8,036 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:HRB opened at $61.51 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.23 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.39. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.87 and a 1 year high of $68.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $53.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.26.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th were issued a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.32%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have 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 note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

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.