Short Interest in H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) Grows By 9.7%

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 13,730,000 shares, an increase of 9.7% from the January 15th total of 12,520,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,340,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 10.2 days. Currently, 10.4% of the company’s shares are short sold.

H&R Block Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of HRB traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $52.62. The stock had a trading volume of 1,219,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,457. H&R Block has a 12 month low of $45.64 and a 12 month high of $68.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $54.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.46. The company has a market capitalization of $7.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 0.69.

H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The company reported ($1.73) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts predict that H&R Block will post 5.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&R Block Announces Dividend

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 paid a dividend of $0.375 per share. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. H&R Block’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.32%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of H&R Block from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of H&R Block in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H&R Block

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HRB. Boston Partners lifted its stake in H&R Block by 58.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 4,500,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $237,814,000 after acquiring an additional 1,660,319 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $57,253,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in H&R Block by 12.5% during the 4th quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,701,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $248,448,000 after acquiring an additional 523,353 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp bought a new position in H&R Block during the 4th quarter valued at $25,552,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in H&R Block by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,735,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $144,527,000 after acquiring an additional 476,892 shares in the last quarter. 90.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.