Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on KMPR. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $43.25.

Kemper Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE KMPR opened at $26.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Kemper has a 12 month low of $22.69 and a 12 month high of $52.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $27.86 and a 200-day moving average of $28.77.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.8%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is -15.24%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Bradley Camden purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.34 per share, for a total transaction of $26,340.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,350,162.06. This represents a 1.99% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen McAnena bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.50 per share, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $820,042.50. The trade was a 10.74% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $227,331,000. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in Kemper during the second quarter valued at approximately $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Kemper during the second quarter valued at approximately $20,800,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 5.1% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 672,685 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,557,000 after purchasing an additional 32,753 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the first quarter worth approximately $18,074,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation is an insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance products to individuals, families and businesses across the United States.

Kemper’s property and casualty operations focus on personal automobile insurance, including coverage for drivers who may have difficulty obtaining insurance through standard carriers. The company also offers home, renters and other personal insurance products, as well as specialty insurance solutions distributed through independent agents and other channels.

Through Kemper Life, the company provides life insurance products designed primarily for individuals and families, including coverage intended to help with final expenses and other financial needs.