Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-19 · Permanent

H&R Block, Inc. logoH&R Block, Inc. HRB

Clears the common standard

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · H&R Block, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides assisted and do-it-yourself (DIY) tax return preparation services in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The label
Markup

read at $42.08

H&R Block, Inc. holds its Markup at $42.08.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-19
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the sellers, held for 14 days
Price$42.08
Valuation7.53 trailing · 7.23 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 70.0
Beta0.38

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$42.08
7.53 P/E · 7.23 fwd
Our fair value
$49.38
17% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$39.50
-6% to current
Target low $29.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $50.00
▲ current $42.08 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$55.1$37.3$19.5TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$50.00 +34%Conservative$49.38 +32%Our fair value$49.38 +32%Analyst avg$39.50 +6%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$42.08
you are here
Conservative
$49.38
+17%
Analyst avg
$39.50
-6%
Our fair value
$49.38
+17%
Analyst high
$50.00
+19%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our model sees value the Street hasn't fully caught up to yet.

Revenue growth5.30%
Profit margin18.90%
Analyst consensusNone · 2 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

It depends which standard you follow. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor, and on this company they disagree. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

Why the two disagree. They fall out over one thing only: the company’s debt. Our stricter standard measures that debt against what the company owns, and it works out too high to pass. The common standard measures the same debt against what the company is worth on the stock market, where it works out low enough to pass. Every other check, the two agree on. So in practice, most halal apps would treat this as fine to hold, while our stricter view would not — and which line you follow is between you and your scholar.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Against market value it is 38.0%, under the 30% line the market-value standard uses — so that standard clears it. Divergent
  • Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Tax refunds feel reliable until the season shifts

Picture a business that prints money for three months then waits out the rest of the year. H&R Block sits in that exact spot, selling assisted tax prep at a forward P/E of 7.2 times with 5 percent revenue growth and 19 percent margins. The numbers look tidy on paper and the ethical screen clears without issue, yet the opportunity rating sits at none because the low multiple simply reflects a service tied to one annual event and shifting tax rules.

The market prices the shares at 42 dollars against a 49-dollar fair value, but two analysts see 40 dollars as fair. That gap tells us the cheap earnings multiple is not an invitation. Growth stays modest, competition from software keeps eating the DIY side, and any change in filing behaviour or refunds lands straight on the top line.

Cyclical exposure means peak profits often coincide with peak multiples that later compress, turning the apparent bargain into a value trap rather than a durable compounder. Steady cash flow cannot erase the fact that demand is lumpy and largely outside management control. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E7.2x
priced for continued growth
Trailing P/E7.5x
very cheap relative to earnings
Revenue growth5.3%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin18.9%
healthy profit margins
Current ratio1.00
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.38
barely tracks the market's swings
Market cap$5.3B
Employees4,300

The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in HRB's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

HRB trades on the NYSE. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $40. Entered 2026-07-18 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-18 Markup $36.52 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $40.

2026-07-03 Markup $36.52 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $36.52 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $35.67 +4.9% $0.42 $1,061 +6.1%
2 months $29.48 +26.9% $0.42 $1,284 +28.4%
3 months $29.89 +25.2% $0.42 $1,266 +26.6%
6 months $41.69 -10.3% $0.84 $918 -8.2%
1 year $52.67 -29.0% $1.68 $742 -25.8%
2 years $46.82 -20.1% $3.18 $867 -13.3%
3 years $28.84 +29.8% $4.46 $1,452 +45.2%
5 years $21.92 +70.7% $6.97 $2,025 +102.5%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever HRB does next, these words stay.

H&R Block, Inc. · HRB · Markup · $42.08
Recorded 2026-07-19 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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