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

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) posted its earnings results on Monday. The company reported ($1.40) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.43) by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. H&R Block had a net margin of 18.59% and a negative return on equity of 214.84%.

H&R Block Price Performance

H&R Block stock traded down $1.48 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $51.21. 2,364,840 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,280,998. H&R Block has a 52 week low of $28.16 and a 52 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 firm has a market cap of $6.27 billion, a PE ratio of 8.95, a PEG ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 0.40. The company’s fifty day moving average is $46.79 and its 200-day moving average is $39.55.

H&R Block Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other H&R Block news, insider Mark J. Darling sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 21,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $878,415.72. This trade represents a 11.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.