=H&R Block (HRB) reported earnings on Tue 7 March 17 (a/h)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ H&R Block Inc. (HRB) on Tuesday reported a loss of $104.5 million in its fiscal third quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Kansas City, Missouri-based company said it had a loss of 50 cents. Losses, adjusted to account for discontinued operations, were 49 cents per share.

The tax preparer posted revenue of $451.9 million in the period.

H&R Block shares have dropped slightly more than 9 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index has increased nearly 6 percent. In the final minutes of trading on Tuesday, shares hit $20.84, a fall of 26 percent in the last 12 month