H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Monday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on HRB. Barrington Research upped their target price on H&R Block from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of H&R Block in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of H&R Block from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.67.

H&R Block Price Performance

NYSE:HRB opened at $43.06 on Monday. H&R Block has a 52 week low of $28.16 and a 52 week high of $58.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 7.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $47.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.91.

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

H&R Block Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. This is an increase from H&R Block’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.17%.

Insider Activity at H&R Block

In other H&R Block news, insider Mark J. Darling sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.69, for a total transaction of $109,863.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 21,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $878,415.72. This represents a 11.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.67% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of H&R Block

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in H&R Block by 54.0% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 34.5% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in H&R Block by 51.4% during the 1st quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of H&R Block during the second quarter worth $61,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of H&R Block by 96.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 1,139 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is 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.