Kemper Corporation $KMPR Shares Sold by Invesco Ltd.

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 6.2%, holding approximately 438,645 shares valued at $29.32 million following the sale of 28,922 shares.
• Kemper's board has initiated a $500 million share buyback program, allowing for the repurchase of up to 12.8% of its shares, indicating confidence in the company's valuation.
• The company reported earnings of $1.30 per share for the most recent quarter, missing analyst expectations, while revenue increased by 8.5% year-over-year.

Invesco Ltd. cut its holdings in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 438,645 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 28,922 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.69% of Kemper worth $29,323,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $60,661,000 after acquiring an additional 374,798 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in Kemper by 83.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 331,770 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Kemper by 175.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 314,295 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,882,000 after acquiring an additional 200,346 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased 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 worth $62,093,000 after acquiring an additional 135,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Kemper by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 505,041 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,762,000 after acquiring an additional 133,897 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kemper

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 over the last 90 days. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kemper Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of KMPR traded down $0.6470 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $52.9730. The stock had a trading volume of 689,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,145,547. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $45.02 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The business's fifty day moving average is $59.50 and its 200 day moving average is $62.04. The firm has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.27.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a $0.32 dividend. 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 is presently 24.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMPR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities cut their price target 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. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.