KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Makes New $3.18 Million Investment in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 59,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,184,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in H&R Block by 4.2% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of H&R Block by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 4,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 12,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 64.5% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

H&R Block Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of HRB opened at $54.08 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.99. H&R Block, Inc. has a one year low of $45.87 and a one year high of $68.45. The company has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.90, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s payout ratio is presently 41.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

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.