Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) Short Interest Up 48.7% in January

Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 590,160 shares, a growth of 48.7% from the December 31st total of 396,824 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 220,465 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 220,465 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HMN opened at $44.81 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.34 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Horace Mann Educators has a 52 week low of $37.36 and a 52 week high of $48.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $44.92 and a 200 day moving average of $44.74.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.39. The company had revenue of $438.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $429.90 million. Horace Mann Educators had a return on equity of 15.69% and a net margin of 9.79%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Horace Mann Educators will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Horace Mann Educators Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Horace Mann Educators’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HMN. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Horace Mann Educators from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Horace Mann Educators currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Horace Mann Educators news, SVP Mark R. Desrochers sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.00, for a total transaction of $141,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 20,556 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $966,132. This represents a 12.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Marita Zuraitis sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.17, for a total value of $220,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 288,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,755,765.96. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,398 shares of company stock valued at $697,298. 4.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Horace Mann Educators by 36.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,251 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 2,194 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 24,449 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators in the first quarter valued at approximately $313,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 138,788 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,930,000 after acquiring an additional 7,542 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 313.8% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 91,640 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,916,000 after purchasing an additional 69,492 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.28% of the company’s stock.

About Horace Mann Educators

Horace Mann Educators Corporation, based in Springfield, Illinois, specializes in insurance and retirement solutions tailored to educators and school employees across the United States. Founded in 1945, the company partners with public school districts to deliver property and casualty insurance products—including auto, home and liability coverage—through a network of dedicated local agents. Its targeted approach focuses on understanding the unique needs and schedules of teachers, administrators and other school staff, distinguishing its services within the broader insurance market.

In addition to property and casualty offerings, Horace Mann provides life and disability insurance, annuities and retirement plan products designed to help educators plan for financial security beyond their teaching careers.