Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) Stock Bumped Down to Hold by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Horace Mann Educators from “Buy” to “Hold.” Despite the downgrade, the stock retains a consensus “Buy” rating and a $59 average price target.
• The insurer reported quarterly EPS of $2.06, beating the $1.10 consensus estimate, and revenue of $439.2 million versus analyst expectations of $320 million.
• Company insiders sold 31,342 shares worth about $1.54 million over the past three months; insiders own 3.6% of the company.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on HMN. Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating and set a $59.00 target price on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Horace Mann Educators from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Horace Mann Educators from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.00.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE:HMN opened at $53.01 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock's fifty day moving average is $47.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.30. Horace Mann Educators has a 52 week low of $41.29 and a 52 week high of $55.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.09.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The insurance provider reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.96. Horace Mann Educators had a return on equity of 16.07% and a net margin of 10.16%. The business had revenue of $439.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $320.00 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.36 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Horace Mann Educators will post 5.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Horace Mann Educators

In other Horace Mann Educators news, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.99, for a total value of $382,425.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Perry G. Hines sold 3,237 shares of Horace Mann Educators 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 transaction, the director owned 25,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,661.96. The trade was a 11.42% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 31,342 shares of company stock worth $1,544,140. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HMN. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter valued at $47,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 24.5% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Horace Mann Educators during the 2nd quarter worth about $74,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.28% of the company's stock.

About Horace Mann Educators

Horace Mann Educators Corporation is an insurance and financial services company focused on serving educators and other employees of public schools. Founded in 1945 by educators, the company develops products and services with the needs of education professionals in mind. Its offerings include auto, homeowners and life insurance, as well as retirement annuities and other financial products. The company also provides supplemental insurance and services intended to help educators manage student loan debt.

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