Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $72.75.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JMP Securities lowered their price objective on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $50.41 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.25. Kemper has a 52-week low of $45.02 and a 52-week high of $73.01.

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

Kemper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 22,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This trade represents a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,985,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $127,783,000 after purchasing an additional 726,295 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 83.3% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 730,175 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,813,000 after acquiring an additional 331,770 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 19.3% during the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,508,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $97,026,000 after acquiring an additional 244,391 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 673.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 262,650 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,558,000 after acquiring an additional 228,707 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter worth about $12,819,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kemper

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.