Tax specialist H&R Block (NYSE: HRB), whose colleagues include Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) and Jackson Hewitt (NYSE: JTX), prepared its Q2 earnings report for investors on Monday after the exchanges had closed. According to this article, the company met expectations for the bottom line. H&R Block saw a net loss of $0.40 per share from continuing operations. That was an improvement of two cents when compared to Q2 2007.
While the bottom line met expectations, the top line came in below what Wall Street was hoping for. The call was for a little over $397 million in sales revenue. H&R Block actually delivered $351.5 million. So, when you add it all together, you come up with something of a lukewarm quarter, in my opinion.
But you have to remember something about this business: tax season is coming up. So, even though we're talking about a loss right now, we should be talking about a profit once the fiscal year concludes. In fact, analysts are calling for H&R Block to earn around $1.63 per share. Management believes that somewhere between $1.60 and $1.70 per share is conceivable. That leaves room for a beat. And, at the stock's current price, H&R Block may be cheap.
With all the market volatility this past year, I have to wonder if many people will indeed be using H&R Block's services to account for all their various stock transactions. When I reported on the company's Q4 and full-year results back in July, I found that it had worked with a record number of clients; can H&R Block beat this performance next year?
As for myself, I think the company's stock might make for an interesting trade idea if the market continues to act well. I'm pretty cautious on most equities for the time being, though, especially considering that the latest rallies on Wall Street haven't convinced me that the bears are ready for hibernation just yet. However, in a very relative sense, H&R Block's shares haven't been too bad this year, and they could rise as we get closer to the height of tax-preparation activity. Might be one to at least look at.
Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change at any time.










