Wall Street Zen Downgrades Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) to Buy

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

Separately, Raymond James Financial restated a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $46.00.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Horace Mann Educators stock traded down $0.29 on Friday, hitting $42.90. 268,370 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 248,860. The company has a quick ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Horace Mann Educators has a 12-month low of $31.81 and a 12-month high of $44.44. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $42.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.94. The company has a market cap of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.54 and a beta of 0.28.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $416.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $421.40 million. Horace Mann Educators had a return on equity of 11.86% and a net margin of 7.04%. The business's revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Horace Mann Educators will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, May 13th that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to repurchase up to 3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Horace Mann Educators

In other Horace Mann Educators news, EVP Bret A. Conklin sold 4,760 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.90, for a total value of $204,204.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,513,382.30. This represents a 7.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Victor Fetter purchased 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $44.03 per share, for a total transaction of $154,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,655 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,259.65. The trade was a 31.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,014 shares of company stock worth $2,328,368. 3.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Horace Mann Educators

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 234,717 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $9,208,000 after acquiring an additional 11,205 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Horace Mann Educators in the 4th quarter valued at $92,000. Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 19,291 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 8,034 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 19,683 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $772,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 470,255 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $18,448,000 after acquiring an additional 54,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.28% of the company's stock.

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.