Bayforest Capital Ltd Raises Stock Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Bayforest Capital Ltd significantly increased its stake in Kemper Corporation by 2,157.4% during Q2, now holding 15,192 shares valued at approximately $980,000.
• Kemper announced a $500 million stock buyback plan, indicating management's belief that the stock is undervalued.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, representing an annual dividend yield of 2.7%.

Bayforest Capital Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 2,157.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,192 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 14,519 shares during the quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd's holdings in Kemper were worth $980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,844 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $84,154,000 after buying an additional 342,649 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kemper by 673.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 262,650 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,558,000 after buying an additional 228,707 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter worth $12,819,000. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Kemper by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $83,357,000 after buying an additional 158,102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Kemper by 36.1% during the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 505,041 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,762,000 after buying an additional 133,897 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Kemper Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:KMPR opened at $48.06 on Tuesday. Kemper Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $73.01. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $52.33 and a 200 day moving average of $58.46. 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 $3.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.05 and a beta of 1.25.

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

Kemper declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

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.

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