Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) Reaches New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $43.59 and last traded at $43.59, with a volume of 38816 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $43.44.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HMN shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Horace Mann Educators from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Horace Mann Educators presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.67.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 0.1 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 17.53 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.58. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 10.58%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Horace Mann Educators Co. will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Horace Mann Educators’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. Horace Mann Educators’s dividend payout ratio is currently 56.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Horace Mann Educators

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

About Horace Mann Educators

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.