Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Invests $275,000 in Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE:HMN) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,446 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Horace Mann Educators during the first quarter worth $693,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Horace Mann Educators by 69.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,697 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 27.1% during the first quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 64,655 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 13,782 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 131,246 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,149,000 after purchasing an additional 14,844 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in Horace Mann Educators by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 7,158 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Horace Mann Educators

In other news, EVP Bret A. Conklin sold 4,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.90, for a total transaction of $204,204.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 58,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,513,382.30. This trade represents a 7.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Victor Fetter bought 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $44.03 per share, with a total value of $154,105.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 14,655 shares in the company, valued at $645,259.65. The trade was a 31.38% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,014 shares of company stock worth $2,328,368. 4.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Horace Mann Educators Stock Up 0.1%

Horace Mann Educators stock opened at $42.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s 50-day moving average is $42.10 and its 200-day moving average is $40.93. Horace Mann Educators Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $31.81 and a fifty-two week high of $44.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.09 and a quick ratio of 0.09.

Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $416.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $421.40 million. Horace Mann Educators had a net margin of 7.04% and a return on equity of 11.86%. Horace Mann Educators’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Horace Mann Educators Corporation will post 3.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Horace Mann Educators announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, May 13th that allows the company to repurchase $50.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Horace Mann Educators Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Horace Mann Educators’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Horace Mann Educators in a report on Thursday, May 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Horace Mann Educators from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.00.

Horace Mann Educators Profile

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.