Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $6.05 Million Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kemper Corporation by 12.6%, acquiring an additional 10,145 shares, bringing its total to 90,448 shares valued at approximately $6 million.
• Kemper Corporation is facing mixed analyst opinions, with Zacks Research rating it as a "strong sell," while Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating amid fluctuating price targets.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share and initiated a stock repurchase plan allowing the buyback of up to $500 million in shares, indicating management believes the stock is undervalued.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 90,448 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 10,145 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Kemper worth $6,046,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised 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 buying an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Kemper by 197.5% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on KMPR shares. JMP Securities dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.

Kemper Stock Down 1.2%

KMPR traded down $0.6510 during trading on Monday, reaching $52.9690. 72,044 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 572,010. The stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper Corporation has a twelve month low of $45.02 and a twelve month high of $73.01. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $59.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 firm 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%.Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper declared that its board has approved a stock 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 purchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

About Kemper

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.