H&R Block Increases Sales but Misses Revenue Estimate

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

H&R Block (NYS: HRB) reported earnings on Sep. 5. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended July 31 (Q1), H&R Block missed estimates on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue contracted significantly and GAAP loss per share shrank.


Margins improved across the board.

Revenue details
 H&R Block chalked up revenue of $96.5 million. The two analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted a top line of $101.2 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 6.9% higher than the prior-year quarter's $90.3 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at -$0.38. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged -$0.38 per share. GAAP EPS were -$0.39 for Q1 compared to -$0.57 per share for the prior-year quarter.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 27.0%, 1,820 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was -155.8%, 5,690 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was -111.4%, 8,250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $130.6 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is -$0.40.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.17 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.63.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 380 members out of 563 rating the stock outperform, and 183 members rating it underperform. Among 155 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 85 give H&R Block a green thumbs-up, and 70 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on H&R Block is outperform, with an average price target of $19.33.

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The article H&R Block Increases Sales but Misses Revenue Estimate originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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