Kemper Corporation $KMPR Shares Acquired by Ieq Capital LLC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC increased its ownership in Kemper Corporation by 62% during the first quarter, now holding 87,923 shares valued at approximately $5.88 million.
• Analyst ratings for Kemper have shown some volatility, with several firms downgrading their outlook, resulting in a current consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.
• Kemper announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 to be paid on September 2, representing a 2.4% dividend yield, alongside a share buyback plan allowing repurchases of up to $500 million.

Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 62.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 87,923 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 33,644 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC owned about 0.14% of Kemper worth $5,878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in Kemper during the first quarter worth about $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Kemper by 104.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in Kemper by 197.5% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kemper Stock Up 0.6%

Kemper stock traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $53.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 527,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,891. The company has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 1.30. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.65. Kemper Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.02 and a fifty-two week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.