Invesco Ltd. Cuts Holdings in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

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. lowered its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 6.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 438,645 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 28,922 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned 0.69% of Kemper worth $29,323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. CX Institutional acquired a new position in Kemper during the first quarter worth $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Kemper by 104.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co acquired a new stake in Kemper during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper during the first quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Kemper Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of KMPR stock traded up $0.2420 on Friday, hitting $53.6420. The stock had a trading volume of 884,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,129,497. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper Corporation has a 1 year low of $45.02 and a 1 year high of $73.01. The company's 50 day moving average price is $59.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.24.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. Analysts anticipate 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 buyback program on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to buy 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors 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 payout ratio is currently 24.11%.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. This 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 is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities reduced their target price on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kemper currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

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.