Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN) Short Interest Update

Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 666,800 shares, a decrease of 21.1% from the February 13th total of 844,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 198,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 1.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Horace Mann Educators Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:HMN traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $41.54. The company had a trading volume of 44,037 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,814. Horace Mann Educators has a 1 year low of $31.81 and a 1 year high of $43.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $39.93 and a 200 day moving average of $38.74. The company has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.72 and a beta of 0.25.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.58. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 10.58%. Sell-side analysts expect that Horace Mann Educators will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. This is an increase from Horace Mann Educators’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Horace Mann Educators’s payout ratio is 56.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on HMN. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Horace Mann Educators from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. JMP Securities restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Horace Mann Educators has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Beverley J. Mcclure sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.36, for a total transaction of $108,060.12. Following the transaction, the director now owns 16,352 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $627,262.72. The trade was a 14.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.40, for a total transaction of $157,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 298,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,753,965.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,817 shares of company stock worth $415,140. 3.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Horace Mann Educators

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,004,806 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $196,339,000 after acquiring an additional 32,586 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,463,931 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $135,890,000 after purchasing an additional 521,437 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Horace Mann Educators by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,659,695 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $104,340,000 after purchasing an additional 47,074 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 183.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,162,264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,827,000 after buying an additional 1,400,210 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 1.3% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,633,717 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,098,000 after buying an additional 20,771 shares in the last quarter. 99.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Horace Mann Educators Company Profile

Horace Mann Educators Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an insurance holding company in the United States. The company operates through Property & Casualty, Life & Retirement, and Supplemental & Group Benefits segments. Its Property & Casualty segment offers insurance products, including private passenger auto insurance, residential home insurance, and personal umbrella insurance; and provides auto coverages including liability and collision, and property coverage for homeowners and renters.