Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Given Consensus Rating of "Reduce" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts collectively rate Kemper “Reduce.” Of nine analysts, three recommend selling, four advise holding, and two recommend buying; the average 12-month price target is $43.25 versus a recent share price of $27.00.
• Kemper’s latest quarterly results were mixed: adjusted EPS of $0.45 beat estimates of $0.34, but revenue of $1.09 billion fell short of expectations and declined 10.8% year over year. The company posted a negative net margin of 10.84%.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, equivalent to a 4.7% annual yield, while insiders purchased 14,000 shares worth approximately $367,880 over the past three months.

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Reduce" from the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $43.25.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KMPR. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kemper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group cut 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.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of Kemper stock opened at $27.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of -3.21 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $28.15 and a 200 day moving average of $29.00. Kemper has a 52 week low of $22.69 and a 52 week high of $53.82.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Kemper will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is presently -15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $25.91 per share, for a total transaction of $129,550.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 31,802 shares of the company's stock, valued at $823,989.82. This trade represents a 18.66% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Stephen J. Mcanena purchased 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $26.50 per share, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $820,042.50. The trade was a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders purchased 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880 in the last three months. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Kemper during the second quarter valued at approximately $227,331,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,780,270 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $143,323,000 after acquiring an additional 795,131 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,776,543 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $143,131,000 after acquiring an additional 316,216 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Kemper by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,472,276 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $100,227,000 after purchasing an additional 140,539 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in Kemper by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,212,025 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $142,764,000 after purchasing an additional 10,213 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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