Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's What Happened

Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $40.88 and last traded at $41.48, with a volume of 290399 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $42.38.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on HMN shares. JMP Securities restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research report on Friday, February 7th. 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Down 1.2 %

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.26. The company has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.10 and a quick ratio of 0.09.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.58. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 10.58%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Horace Mann Educators Co. will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This is a positive change from Horace Mann Educators's previous quarterly dividend of $0.34. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Horace Mann Educators's dividend payout ratio is 56.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.09, for a total value of $215,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 320,451 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,808,233.59. This trade represents a 1.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Beverley J. Mcclure sold 2,816 shares of Horace Mann Educators stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.86, for a total transaction of $120,693.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $584,738.98. The trade was a 17.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,816 shares of company stock valued at $543,144 over the last quarter. 4.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Horace Mann Educators

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 806.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,296 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Horace Mann Educators by 72.9% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,591 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 671 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Horace Mann Educators in the 4th quarter worth $92,000. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,378 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. 99.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.