Kemper Corporation $KMPR Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

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 lowered its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 4.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,260,636 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 110,766 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 3.53% of Kemper worth $151,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KMPR. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Kemper by 104.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Kemper by 197.5% during the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KMPR shares. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, JMP Securities dropped their price target on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. One 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.

Kemper Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.20. The stock had a trading volume of 706,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,156,842. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $59.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.98. Kemper Corporation has a 12-month low of $45.02 and a 12-month high of $73.01. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to purchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.11%.

Kemper 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.