Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on KMPR. Zacks Research cut Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group cut their price target on Kemper from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Kemper from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kemper has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $44.00.

Kemper Stock Performance

NYSE:KMPR opened at $28.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.40 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Kemper has a 1 year low of $22.69 and a 1 year high of $54.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $27.27 and a 200-day moving average of $30.47.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released 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. Kemper had a positive return on equity of 2.89% and a negative net margin of 10.84%.The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. Kemper’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 1.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 21st will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.5%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is -15.24%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in Kemper by 39.9% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kemper by 16.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 557,786 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,288,000 after purchasing an additional 77,764 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Kemper in the first quarter worth $260,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 4.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 198,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,253,000 after purchasing an additional 9,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 112.7% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 10,516 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,573 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) is a diversified insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Formed through the rebranding of Unitrin in 2010, Kemper has established a nationwide presence by offering a broad array of property and casualty insurance products. The company distributes its products through independent agents, brokers and direct-to-consumer channels, serving both individual policyholders and commercial clients.

The personal insurance segment provides coverage for automobiles, homeowners, renters and umbrella lines, while the commercial business focuses on liability, workers’ compensation and specialty property solutions tailored to small and mid-sized enterprises.