The next quarter is always the most nerve-wracking for Intuit's (INTU) shareholders. It's during this time that its flagship TurboTax product gets much of its business.

Yet, based on the latest earnings report, it looks like Intuit should do fine. In Friday morning trading, the stock was up nearly 7% to $53.85.

Continue reading Intuit Preps for Tax Season

Intuit Preps for Tax Season originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Even though there are signs of improvement, the U.S. economy still remains sluggish. No doubt, this has been particularly tough for small business owners.

So to help things along, Congress has passed another stimulus bill: The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Will the HIRE Act Help Your Business?

Entrepreneur's Journal: Will the HIRE Act Help Your Business? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Late last month, H&R Block (HRB) dropped a bomb on investors. The company slashed its outlook because of the slow start of the tax season. As a result, H&R Block's stock price fell 13%.

So Monday, the company reported its official fiscal third-quarter results. Profits came to $50.6 million, or $0.15 per share, up from $47.4 million, or $0.14 per share in the same period a year ago.

Continue reading H&R Block Feels the Pain from TurboTax

H&R Block Feels the Pain from TurboTax originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the years, I've been a loyal customer of Intuit's (NASDAQ: INTU) TurboTax. The product has evolved nicely -- and has certainly made my life easier. In fact, I've recommended it to a variety of people.

But recently things haven't been so good. You see, when I originally purchased the product, there was no online offering. Instead, I would get a CD in the mail. Needless to say, it's kind of Old School.

Well, my CD drive went bad and so I can't load up the new version of TurboTax. So, I reached out to the folks at Intuit and asked if I can use the online version.

Continue reading TurboTax needs a better strategy for moving customers online

TurboTax needs a better strategy for moving customers online originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special annual report -- Top Stock Picks '09 -- in which TheStockAdvisors.com asked 75 leading newsletter advisors to select their favorite investment for the new year.

As his top pick for 2009, leading value investor Charles Mizrahi looks to Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU), the maker of QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax. Here's the latest from Hidden Values Alert.

"Intuit is s a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and medium sized businesses, financial institutions, consumers, and accounting professionals.

"Their flagship products and services, including QuickBooks, Quicken, and TurboTax, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing.

"ProSeries and Lacerte are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Its Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services that help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.

Continue reading Top Stock Picks '09: Intuit (INTU)

Top Stock Picks '09: Intuit (INTU) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With "tax time" fast approaching, Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) is perhaps one of the few that are happy. After all, it sells the dominant tax software product, TurboTax.

Yet, as seen with the fiscal Q2 results, things are not so rosy. Revenue increased 11% to $834.9 million and profit was $115.2 million, or 34 cents per share, down from $145.4 million, or 40 cents, a year earlier.

True, Intuit's tax business remains strong (especially the online sales). However, the company is showing some strains with its QuickBooks line (which is an accounting system for small business).

So, is this because of the slowing economy? Well, according to the conference call, Intuit wasn't sure. For example, the problem could be the result of the timing of marketing expenditures. Or, there may be strains from the credit crunch (such as the difficulties of refinancings and even getting credit lines).

As a result, it should be no surprise that Intuit has provided meager guidance. Basically, the company expects revenue growth of 5% to 7%.

Although, looking for the long haul, Intuit remains optimistic. For example, the company recently purchased Homestead, which provides websites for small businesses. This should be a nice cross sell with other Intuit products. What's more, Intuit's payroll business is still strong.

But, in today's trading, Intuit's shares are getting slammed - down 11% to $26.53.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Intuit taxes investors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the years, Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) has been able to beat back Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and in the process, build a powerful franchise. But investors are wondering: where will the next stage of growth come from?

Well, if you listened to the Q3 conference call, the company is excited about the small-business category.

So, yesterday Intuit announced that it will spend $170 million for Homestead Technologies, which is a provider of websites for small businesses.

True, this is a commodity business. Yet, it can be a way to sell value-add services, such as Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Adwords, customer relationship management tools, and so on.

On its face, there are some clear synergies, such as with Intuit's QuickBooks and TurboTax offerings. But, since it's privately-held, it's tough the gauge the size of Homestead.

But keep in mind that the company is in a fiercely competitive business, which is undergoing consolidation. So, it should be no surprise that Homestead finally decided to sell out.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

Intuit grabs some online real estate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The moral of many stories is to "not wait until the last minute". Alas, not many U.S. taxpayers heeded that advice last night as they began filing their federal taxes at Intuit Inc.'s (NASDAQ: INTU) TurboTax website or using its TurboTax software.

In a development that is hardly surprising, TurboTax's computer servers were overwhelmed and hour-long delays began to plague the system as the midnight deadline for filing was near.

Generally, it takes less than a minute for customers who file through TurboTax (e-filing) to receive a message that their return(s) have been successfully submitted to the IRS. It was taking a few hours (or longer) last night as Intuit's servers were processing 50-60 returns a second. As such, a backlog of returns to be submitted to the IRS started piling up.

At least the IRS was "sympathetic" to Intuit's plight, and Intuit doubts that many late filers will get hit with penalties due to its inability to get a few hundred thousand returns (or more) submitted before midnight last night.

Were you a late filer? If so, it's easy to avoid possible problems like this in the future, right? Just don't wait until the final few hours to finish and send your taxes to Uncle Sam.

Intuit's TurboTax online system swamped by tax filers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tax day funnies: Best of TaxRap, vol. 1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mad TAX REFUNDS: Vanilla Ice RAPS for TurboTax originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.