Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) Stock Price Breaks Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Horace Mann Educators shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading near $47.77 versus the $46.89 average. The stock has a $1.93 billion market capitalization and a 3.0% dividend yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $59. However, recent opinions were mixed, including upgrades to Buy and downgrades to Hold.
• The insurer reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.17 in EPS versus the $0.79 estimate and revenue of $443.5 million. Revenue increased 7.7% year over year, while insiders sold more than 20,000 shares in the past 90 days.

Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $46.89 and traded as high as $47.82. Horace Mann Educators shares last traded at $47.7660, with a volume of 296,964 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on HMN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Horace Mann Educators from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Horace Mann Educators from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $59.00 price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Horace Mann Educators from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.00.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of 11.16 and a beta of 0.08. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.08 and a quick ratio of 0.08.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $443.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Horace Mann Educators Corporation will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Horace Mann Educators Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 16th were paid a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 16th. Horace Mann Educators's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.64%.

Insider Activity

In other news, General Counsel Donald M. Carley sold 2,054 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.28, for a total transaction of $107,383.12. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,760 shares in the company, valued at $1,503,572.80. This represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.99, for a total value of $382,425.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 299,629 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold a total of 20,291 shares of company stock valued at $1,005,488 in the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Horace Mann Educators

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in Horace Mann Educators by 38.3% during the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 197,164 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,794,000 after buying an additional 54,614 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 2.8% in the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 9,140 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $408,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 13.3% in the third quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 8,500 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 20.8% in the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 21,193 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 3,656 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 14,168 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $632,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.28% of the company's stock.

Horace Mann Educators Company Profile

Horace Mann Educators Corporation NYSE: HMN is an insurance and financial services company focused on serving educators and employees of public schools. The company provides products designed to address the personal insurance, life insurance and retirement needs of educators, school administrators and other education professionals.

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

Founded in 1945, the company is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois, and markets its products primarily through a network of agents serving the education community across the United States.

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