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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KMPR. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Kemper by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,147 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 1,556 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 158.1% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 75,036 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,987,000 after purchasing an additional 45,969 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,642 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 33,943 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,255,000 after purchasing an additional 2,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Kemper by 212.4% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KMPR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research raised Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. JMP Securities lowered their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at $637,032.33. This trade represents a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845 in the last ninety days. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR stock traded up $0.2420 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.6420. 884,921 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,497. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.10 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $59.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.24.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business 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 firm's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

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

Kemper announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.