Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $29.48, but opened at $31.29. Kemper shares last traded at $32.72, with a volume of 37,181 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 27th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $37.67.

Kemper Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $27.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.95 and a beta of 1.07.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, EVP Thomas Evans purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $26.53 per share, for a total transaction of $26,530.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 91,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,917.37. This trade represents a 1.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Mcanena acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.50 per share, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $820,042.50. The trade was a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kemper by 28.4% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 536,164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,455,000 after purchasing an additional 118,683 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 125.8% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 284,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,693,000 after acquiring an additional 158,488 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,093,000. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter valued at $227,331,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at $1,622,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

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.