Kemper Corporation $KMPR Holdings Lifted by Voya Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC significantly increased its holdings in Kemper Corporation by 442.8% during the 1st quarter, owning approximately $2.67 million worth of shares.
• Multiple hedge funds, including AQR Capital Management and MetLife Investment Management, also expanded their stakes in Kemper, with institutional investors now owning 86.23% of the company's stock.
• Kemper announced a $500 million share buyback program and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.32, amounting to an annualized yield of 2.5%.

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 442.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,932 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 32,575 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Kemper worth $2,669,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Kemper by 0.8% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $184,466,000 after purchasing an additional 20,899 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in Kemper by 14.3% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $83,357,000 after purchasing an additional 158,102 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Kemper by 37.4% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,844 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $84,154,000 after purchasing an additional 342,649 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in Kemper by 8.9% in the first quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,192,664 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $79,730,000 after purchasing an additional 97,770 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its position in Kemper by 83.3% in the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 730,175 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $48,813,000 after purchasing an additional 331,770 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kemper Stock Down 0.3%

KMPR stock traded down $0.14 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.69. The stock had a trading volume of 259,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,148. Kemper Corporation has a 1-year low of $45.02 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.73 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $55.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.20.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities reduced 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 report on Wednesday, August 6th. Piper Sandler reissued 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. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.