Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $151.12 Million Stock Holdings in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 4.7%, now owning approximately 3.53% of the company, valued at $151.1 million after selling 110,766 shares.
• Kemper's quarterly earnings missed analysts' expectations, reporting $1.30 EPS compared to the consensus of $1.52, although revenue increased by 8.5% year-over-year.
• The company announced a $500 million stock buyback plan and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, indicating confidence in its stock valuation.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP decreased its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,260,636 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 110,766 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 3.53% of Kemper worth $151,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 69.2% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 916,195 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $60,661,000 after buying an additional 374,798 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 83.3% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 730,175 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,813,000 after buying an additional 331,770 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 175.8% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 314,295 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,882,000 after buying an additional 200,346 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its holdings 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 during the period. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 934,571 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $62,093,000 after purchasing an additional 135,499 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on KMPR shares. JMP Securities cut their price objective on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kemper currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845 in the last three months. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $0.2420 on Friday, reaching $53.6420. 884,921 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,497. The firm's 50 day moving average is $59.71 and its 200-day moving average is $62.20. Kemper Corporation has a one year low of $45.02 and a one 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 firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.27.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.11%.

Kemper declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are 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.