Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued

- By GF Value

The stock of Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN, 30-year Financials) is believed to be fairly valued, according to GuruFocus Value calculation. GuruFocus Value is GuruFocus' estimate of the fair value at which the stock should be traded. It is calculated based on the historical multiples that the stock has traded at, the past business growth and analyst estimates of future business performance. If the price of a stock is significantly above the GF Value Line, it is overvalued and its future return is likely to be poor. On the other hand, if it is significantly below the GF Value Line, its future return will likely be higher. At its current price of $40.35 per share and the market cap of $1.7 billion, Horace Mann Educators stock is estimated to be fairly valued. GF Value for Horace Mann Educators is shown in the chart below.


Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued
Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued

Because Horace Mann Educators is fairly valued, the long-term return of its stock is likely to be close to the rate of its business growth, which averaged 2.9% over the past five years.

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Since investing in companies with low financial strength could result in permanent capital loss, investors must carefully review a company's financial strength before deciding whether to buy shares. Looking at the cash-to-debt ratio and interest coverage can give a good initial perspective on the company's financial strength. Horace Mann Educators has a cash-to-debt ratio of 0.05, which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Insurance industry. Based on this, GuruFocus ranks Horace Mann Educators's financial strength as 4 out of 10, suggesting poor balance sheet. This is the debt and cash of Horace Mann Educators over the past years:

Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued
Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued

It poses less risk to invest in profitable companies, especially those that have demonstrated consistent profitability over the long term. A company with high profit margins is also typically a safer investment than one with low profit margins. Horace Mann Educators has been profitable 10 over the past 10 years. Over the past twelve months, the company had a revenue of $1.3 billion and earnings of $3.702 a share. Its operating margin is 0.00%, which ranks in the bottom 10% of the companies in Insurance industry. Overall, GuruFocus ranks the profitability of Horace Mann Educators at 5 out of 10, which indicates fair profitability. This is the revenue and net income of Horace Mann Educators over the past years:

Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued
Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued

Growth is probably one of the most important factors in the valuation of a company. GuruFocus' research has found that growth is closely correlated with the long-term performance of a company's stock. If a company's business is growing, the company usually creates value for its shareholders, especially if the growth is profitable. Likewise, if a company's revenue and earnings are declining, the value of the company will decrease. Horace Mann Educators's 3-year average revenue growth rate is in the middle range of the companies in Insurance industry. Horace Mann Educators's 3-year average EBITDA growth rate is 22.3%, which ranks better than 83% of the companies in Insurance industry.

Another way to look at the profitability of a company is to compare its return on invested capital and the weighted cost of capital. Return on invested capital (ROIC) measures how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is the rate that a company is expected to pay on average to all its security holders to finance its assets. We want to have the return on invested capital higher than the weighted cost of capital. For the past 12 months, Horace Mann Educators's return on invested capital is 1.15, and its cost of capital is 4.94. The historical ROIC vs WACC comparison of Horace Mann Educators is shown below:

Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued
Horace Mann Educators Stock Is Estimated To Be Fairly Valued

In summary, Horace Mann Educators (NYSE:HMN, 30-year Financials) stock is believed to be fairly valued. The company's financial condition is poor and its profitability is fair. Its growth ranks better than 83% of the companies in Insurance industry. To learn more about Horace Mann Educators stock, you can check out its 30-year Financials here.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.