Wall Street Zen Upgrades Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) to “Buy”

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on HMN. Zacks Research raised shares of Horace Mann Educators from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $59.00 price target on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Strong Buy” and an average price target of $59.00.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 0.0%

Horace Mann Educators stock opened at $45.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 0.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. Horace Mann Educators has a fifty-two week low of $41.29 and a fifty-two week high of $55.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $50.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.07.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.38. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 10.15% and a return on equity of 14.08%. The firm had revenue of $443.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $321.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.06 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Horace Mann Educators has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.600-4.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that Horace Mann Educators will post 4.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Horace Mann Educators news, General Counsel Donald Carley sold 2,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.28, for a total value of $107,383.12. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 28,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,503,572.80. This trade represents a 6.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Perry Hines sold 3,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.22, for a total transaction of $169,036.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,118 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,661.96. This represents a 11.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,791 shares of company stock valued at $1,443,719. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Horace Mann Educators

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators during the second quarter worth about $304,006,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 0.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,184,648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $93,243,000 after buying an additional 12,556 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter worth $72,363,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter valued at $29,287,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Horace Mann Educators in the second quarter valued at $20,061,000. 99.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Horace Mann Educators

Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE: HMN) is an insurance and financial services company focused on serving educators and other employees of public schools. Founded in 1945 by educators in Springfield, Illinois, the company has built its business around the insurance and financial needs of the education community.

Through its operating subsidiaries, Horace Mann provides personal lines insurance products, including automobile and homeowners insurance, as well as life insurance and supplemental insurance.