Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires New Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management acquired 337,724 Kemper shares worth approximately $8.4 million, representing about 0.57% of the insurer. Institutional investors collectively own 86.23% of KMPR.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Kemper has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $37.67, despite some firms maintaining Buy ratings and others upgrading the stock to Hold.
• Kemper reported quarterly earnings of $0.45 per share, exceeding estimates of $0.34, but revenue fell 10.8% year over year to $1.09 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, implying a 4.3% annualized yield.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 337,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,443,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.57% of Kemper at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 108.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 946 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 456.6% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,436 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 24.6% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,969 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on KMPR. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kemper from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kemper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $37.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.49 per share, with a total value of $105,960.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $883,838.85. This trade represents a 13.62% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen J. Mcanena purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.50 per share, with a total value of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 30,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $820,042.50. This represents a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kemper Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE:KMPR opened at $29.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $27.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $28.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.57 and a beta of 1.07. Kemper Corporation has a 12-month low of $22.69 and a 12-month high of $49.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 earnings per share. Kemper's revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.3%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -15.24%.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty, life, and health insurance products through its operating subsidiaries. Its offerings include automobile insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal and commercial insurance solutions designed for individuals, families, and businesses.

The company distributes its products through independent agents, affiliated agencies, and other insurance distribution partners. Kemper primarily serves customers across the United States, with its businesses focused on personal insurance markets and selected commercial insurance opportunities.

Kemper traces its corporate history to Unitrin, which changed its name to Kemper Corporation in 2015.

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