Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) Short Interest Up 14.8% in February

Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 670,519 shares, an increase of 14.8% from the February 12th total of 584,084 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 228,233 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 228,233 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.9 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Horace Mann Educators

In other Horace Mann Educators news, Director Victor Fetter purchased 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $42.73 per share, for a total transaction of $149,555.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $952,537.16. The trade was a 18.62% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HMN. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Horace Mann Educators by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,007,719 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $226,199,000 after purchasing an additional 78,079 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,697,576 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $78,394,000 after purchasing an additional 76,295 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,042,622 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,156,000 after purchasing an additional 28,763 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 13.3% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 829,376 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,463,000 after purchasing an additional 97,366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 744,369 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,623,000 after purchasing an additional 11,411 shares during the last quarter. 99.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on HMN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Horace Mann Educators from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.33.

Horace Mann Educators Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of HMN opened at $41.66 on Thursday. Horace Mann Educators has a 12-month low of $38.76 and a 12-month high of $48.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.68 and a beta of 0.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $43.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The insurance provider reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $434.80 million for the quarter. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 9.53% and a return on equity of 13.92%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Horace Mann Educators will post 3.87 EPS for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 17th. This is a boost from Horace Mann Educators’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. Horace Mann Educators’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.92%.

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.