Blue Capital Inc. Takes $531,000 Position in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Blue Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,990 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $531,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its holdings in Kemper by 108.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,105,859 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $73,363,000 after acquiring an additional 574,730 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 916,195 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $60,661,000 after purchasing an additional 374,798 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the 4th quarter worth about $23,325,000. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 3,378.5% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 220,712 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $15,724,000 after purchasing an additional 214,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kemper in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $14,016,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded up $1.68 during trading on Friday, hitting $64.16. 545,417 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 367,204. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $62.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a market capitalization of $4.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07 and a beta of 1.26. Kemper Co. has a 1-year low of $53.57 and a 1-year high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.17. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.07 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Kemper from $86.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $79.40.

Kemper Company 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.