Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 85,816 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,833 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC’s holdings in H&R Block were worth $4,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in H&R Block by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of H&R Block by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,050,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $108,358,000 after buying an additional 232,095 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of H&R Block by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 7,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $382,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of H&R Block by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 19,188 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 999 shares during the period. Finally, New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in H&R Block in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,644,000. Institutional investors own 90.14% of the company’s stock.

H&R Block Stock Up 2.6 %

NYSE HRB opened at $56.34 on Wednesday. H&R Block, Inc. has a 12 month low of $45.87 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The stock has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $53.28 and its 200 day moving average is $56.71.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last released 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%. Research analysts predict that H&R Block, Inc. will post 5.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. H&R Block’s payout ratio is 41.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

H&R Block Company Profile

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.