Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 5,833 Shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,816 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,833 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of H&R Block worth $4,535,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in H&R Block during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Spire Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of H&R Block during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew 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 worth $35,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its position in H&R Block by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HRB shares. StockNews.com cut H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th.

H&R Block Stock Performance

HRB stock opened at $56.34 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.71. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $45.87 and a 12-month high of $68.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65.

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

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.375 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

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.