Fox Run Management L.L.C. Purchases 15,382 Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)

Key Points

• Fox Run Management L.L.C. significantly increased its holdings in Kemper Corporation by 213.1% to a total of 22,599 shares, valued at approximately $1.51 million.
• Several analysts have downgraded their price targets for Kemper, with JMP Securities reducing it from $85.00 to $75.00 and Piper Sandler lowering theirs from $75.00 to $50.00.
• Kemper announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, corresponding to an annualized dividend of $1.28, and approved a $500 million share repurchase plan.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 213.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,599 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 15,382 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C.'s holdings in Kemper were worth $1,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 17.1% during the first quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 613 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Kemper by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $83,357,000 after buying an additional 158,102 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $70,000. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 22.1% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 11,410 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $763,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 74.5% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 44,942 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,004,000 after purchasing an additional 19,194 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kemper news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. This trade represents a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 Kemper stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KMPR shares. JMP Securities cut 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 note on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded down $0.90 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.21. The stock had a trading volume of 927,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,041,486. Kemper Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $73.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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

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.