Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Sells 5,810 Shares of Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 3.8%, holding 146,235 shares valued at approximately $9.78 million, according to recent SEC filings.
• Kemper's stock price opened at $53.21 and has fluctuated between a low of $45.02 and a high of $73.01 over the past year, with current performance reflecting a 1.7% decrease.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share and initiated a $500 million stock buyback program, indicating confidence in its valuation.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 146,235 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 5,810 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.23% of Kemper worth $9,776,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the first quarter valued at $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 104.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in Kemper in the first quarter worth $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper in the first quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Kemper by 197.5% during the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on KMPR. Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JMP Securities dropped their price target on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.75.

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 2,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kemper Stock Up 1.2%

KMPR stock traded up $0.6450 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.0450. 189,558 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 570,708. Kemper Corporation has a 1-year low of $45.02 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.18 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $59.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.32.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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

Kemper announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.