Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $67.25.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Wall Street Zen cut Kemper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Raymond James Financial cut Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.76% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $184,466,000 after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,212,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $142,764,000 after purchasing an additional 10,213 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 57.7% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,985,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $127,783,000 after purchasing an additional 726,295 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,508,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,026,000 after purchasing an additional 244,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,310,206 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,561,000 after purchasing an additional 117,542 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Stock Down 2.8%

Kemper stock opened at $46.42 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 1.25. Kemper has a 1-year low of $45.02 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $51.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.55.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Kemper will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.11%.

Kemper declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation, a diversified insurance holding company, engages in the provision of insurance products to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Property & Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property & Casualty Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance.