GAMMA Investing LLC Has $49.24 Million Stock Holdings in Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN - Free Report) by 7,143.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 115,243 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 113,652 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.28% of Horace Mann Educators worth $49,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HMN. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 389.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 779 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 620 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 806.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 1,153 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators in the fourth quarter valued at about $92,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,378 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA acquired a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators during the fourth quarter valued at $244,000. 99.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Performance

HMN traded up $0.08 during trading on Thursday, reaching $43.08. 325,376 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,166. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $41.80 and a 200 day moving average of $40.82. The stock has a market cap of $1.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.37 and a beta of 0.28. 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 Co. has a 52 week low of $31.81 and a 52 week high of $44.44.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $416.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $421.40 million. Horace Mann Educators had a return on equity of 10.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Horace Mann Educators Co. will post 3.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Horace Mann Educators announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, May 13th that allows the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Horace Mann Educators Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Horace Mann Educators's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.09, for a total transaction of $215,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 320,451 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,808,233.59. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bret A. Conklin sold 15,472 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.52, for a total value of $673,341.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 55,792 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,428,067.84. This represents a 21.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 49,254 shares of company stock worth $2,124,164. Corporate insiders own 3.80% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HMN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Horace Mann Educators from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Raymond James restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Horace Mann Educators from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.00.

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.