H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Stock: Insider Mark Darling Sells 2,700 Shares

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) insider Mark Darling sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.69, for a total value of $109,863.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 21,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,415.72. The trade was a 11.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

H&R Block Price Performance

HRB traded down $0.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,712,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,352,501. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.69. H&R Block, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.16 and a 1-year high of $58.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $47.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.59.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 11th. The company reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.17. H&R Block had a negative return on equity of 214.84% and a net margin of 18.59%.The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.12 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 255.5% on a year-over-year basis. H&R Block has set its FY 2027 guidance at 6.040-6.240 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that H&R Block, Inc. will post 6.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from H&R Block’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of H&R Block from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of H&R Block from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of H&R Block in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of H&R Block from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.67.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HRB. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $69,441,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of H&R Block in the second quarter worth $56,220,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 50.9% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,761,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,377,000 after buying an additional 1,269,064 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. acquired a new position in H&R Block during the first quarter valued at $11,438,000. Finally, Prevatt Capital Ltd raised its position in H&R Block by 102.9% during the first quarter. Prevatt Capital Ltd now owns 710,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,535,000 after buying an additional 360,000 shares during the period. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc is a tax preparation and financial services company that helps individuals and small businesses manage tax filing and related financial needs. Its services are delivered through company-owned and franchise offices, online platforms and tax-preparation software, providing both assisted and do-it-yourself filing options.

The company offers federal, state and local tax preparation, tax planning and related support, along with products and services such as refund-related financial solutions, tax identity protection and small-business assistance.