H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Posts Earnings Results

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday. The company reported ($1.40) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.43) by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $224.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.28 million. H&R Block had a net margin of 18.59% and a negative return on equity of 214.84%.

H&R Block Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of HRB traded down $1.48 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $51.21. 2,400,119 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,287,341. The company has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.40. H&R Block has a fifty-two week low of $28.16 and a fifty-two week high of $58.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.69, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.79 and its 200-day moving average is $39.55.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is a boost from H&R Block’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 3rd. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at H&R Block

In related news, insider Mark J. Darling sold 2,700 shares of H&R Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.69, for a total value of $109,863.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $878,415.72. The trade was a 11.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HRB. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $47.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised H&R Block from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Barrington Research boosted their target price on H&R Block from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research cut H&R Block from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on H&R Block from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.67.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc provides tax preparation and related financial services to individuals and small businesses. Its offerings include in-person tax preparation, online do-it-yourself filing, virtual tax assistance, and tax software, along with bookkeeping and other small-business services through its Block Advisors and Wave brands.

Founded in 1955 in Kansas City, Missouri, by brothers Henry and Richard Bloch, the company grew from a local tax preparation business into a provider of tax services through offices and digital channels.