Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Monday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Horace Mann Educators from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research report on Friday, September 11th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.00.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:HMN opened at $45.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. Horace Mann Educators has a 1 year low of $41.29 and a 1 year high of $55.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.34.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $443.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.70 million. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Horace Mann Educators will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Perry Hines sold 3,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.22, for a total value of $169,036.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,661.96. This represents a 11.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.99, for a total transaction of $382,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 299,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,278,082.71. This trade represents a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,941 shares of company stock worth $1,078,975. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Horace Mann Educators

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Horace Mann Educators in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Horace Mann Educators in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 24.5% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 300.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,607 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. 99.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Horace Mann Educators

Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE: HMN) is an insurance and financial services company focused on serving educators and other employees of public schools. Through its subsidiaries and affiliated agencies, the company provides insurance products and retirement solutions designed to address the needs of the education community.

Its offerings include automobile and homeowners insurance, life insurance, annuities, and other supplemental insurance products. Horace Mann also provides retirement products and services intended to help educators plan for long-term financial needs.