Short Interest in Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN) Expands By 92.8%

Horace Mann Educators Co. (NYSE:HMN) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 712,500 shares, an increase of 92.8% from the September 15th total of 369,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 260,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 1.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Horace Mann Educators Price Performance

Shares of Horace Mann Educators stock opened at $34.89 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.08 and a current ratio of 0.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.60. Horace Mann Educators has a one year low of $29.88 and a one year high of $39.25.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.01. Horace Mann Educators had a return on equity of 7.44% and a net margin of 5.24%. The firm had revenue of $388.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $288.67 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.03 EPS. Horace Mann Educators’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Horace Mann Educators will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.90%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Horace Mann Educators’s payout ratio is 87.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 228.9% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 694 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 142.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 920 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 1,798.0% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 949 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 899 shares during the last quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in Horace Mann Educators during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new position in Horace Mann Educators during the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. 99.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Horace Mann Educators from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Raymond James assumed coverage on Horace Mann Educators in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Horace Mann Educators from $40.00 to $39.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.00.

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.