Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Makes New Investment in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 10,105 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $652,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Kemper by 69.7% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 25,258 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,678,000 after buying an additional 10,373 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 12,400.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 89,378 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,975,000 after acquiring an additional 88,663 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 105.1% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 6,554 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $438,000 after purchasing an additional 3,358 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC bought a new position in Kemper in the 1st quarter worth about $848,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Kemper by 104.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Down 0.7%

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

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Kemper’s payout ratio is currently 24.11%.

Kemper declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on KMPR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JMP Securities cut their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kemper currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Kemper Profile

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.