AlphaQuest LLC Cuts Stock Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 56.8%, now owning approximately 9,998 shares valued at $668,000.
• Kemper announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, reflecting a yield of 2.4% and a dividend payout ratio of 24.11%.
• Recent analyst reports showed mixed ratings for Kemper, with price targets adjusted down, including JMP Securities lowering theirs from $85.00 to $75.00.

AlphaQuest LLC cut its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 56.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,998 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 13,140 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Kemper were worth $668,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 33,943 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,255,000 after acquiring an additional 2,643 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 212.4% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,752 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $714,000 after purchasing an additional 7,310 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper during the fourth quarter worth approximately $234,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Kemper by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 554,437 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,837,000 after purchasing an additional 55,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 69.2% during 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 in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,032.33. This trade represents a 5.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on KMPR shares. JMP Securities dropped their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

Kemper Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE KMPR traded up $0.32 on Friday, reaching $53.69. 527,624 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,171,891. The business's fifty day moving average price is $58.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $61.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Kemper Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.02 and a fifty-two week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. Analysts forecast that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is 24.11%.

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.