Kemper Corporation (KMPR) - What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly bearish on Kemper: Eight analysts give the stock an average “Reduce” rating, with four sells, two holds and two buys. The average 12-month price target is $37.67.
• Kemper’s latest quarterly results beat earnings expectations, reporting $0.45 EPS versus the $0.34 consensus, but revenue fell 10.8% year over year and the company posted a negative net margin.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.32, implying a 3.9% annualized yield, while insiders purchased 14,000 shares over the past three months. Institutional investors own approximately 86.2% of the stock.

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $37.67.

KMPR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kemper from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, September 27th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kemper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $33.16 on Friday. Kemper has a 1 year low of $22.69 and a 1 year high of $45.08. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $27.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.75. The company has a market capitalization of $1.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.95 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.30 EPS. Kemper's revenue was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kemper will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, CEO Stephen J. Mcanena bought 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.50 per share, with a total value of $79,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $820,042.50. This represents a 10.74% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 5,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $25.91 per share, for a total transaction of $129,550.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 31,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $823,989.82. The trade was a 18.66% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders bought 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of KMPR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Kemper by 28.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 536,164 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $14,455,000 after acquiring an additional 118,683 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kemper by 125.8% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 284,458 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,693,000 after acquiring an additional 158,488 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,093,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $227,331,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,622,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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