Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $29.78 and traded as high as $32.88. Kemper shares last traded at $32.5690, with a volume of 1,033,517 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KMPR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reduced their price target on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 27th. Zacks Research cut Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $37.67.

Kemper Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of -3.88 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.78.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently -15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In other news, CFO Bradley T. Camden bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.34 per share, for a total transaction of $26,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,350,162.06. This trade represents a 1.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.91 per share, for a total transaction of $129,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,802 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $823,989.82. This represents a 18.66% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought a total of 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880 over the last ninety days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Kemper during the 2nd quarter valued at about $227,331,000. Walleye Capital LLC acquired a new position in Kemper during the second quarter worth about $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Kemper during the second quarter worth about $20,800,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the second quarter valued at about $13,896,000. Finally, Lakewood Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the second quarter valued at about $9,250,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals, families and businesses in the United States. Its operations focus primarily on personal and commercial automobile insurance, along with related coverage designed for customers in specialty and preferred insurance markets.

The company offers products that may include nonstandard and standard auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal insurance solutions.