Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Trims Stake in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 7.8%, selling 61,520 shares and owning 1.14% of the company, valued at approximately $48.9 million.
• Kemper's Board of Directors authorized a $500 million share repurchase plan, indicating confidence in the company's stock valuation.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.4%, set to be paid on September 2nd to shareholders recorded as of August 18th.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 731,433 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 61,520 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.14% of Kemper worth $48,896,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional bought a new position in Kemper in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Kemper by 104.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co bought a new position in Kemper in the first quarter valued at about $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Kemper in the first quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Kemper by 197.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kemper news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Gerald Laderman bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 0.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kemper Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE KMPR traded down $0.0350 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $53.8350. 253,036 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 568,389. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.47. Kemper Corporation has a 1-year low of $45.02 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The firm has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.14 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.