Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Sells 26,479 Shares of Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 0.7%, holding approximately 3.55 million shares valued at around $237 million, making it the 17th largest position in their portfolio.
• Kemper's board has initiated a significant share buyback plan allowing for the repurchase of up to $500 million in outstanding shares, representing 12.8% of its stock.
• Recent earnings results revealed that Kemper missed analysts' consensus EPS estimates, reporting $1.30 EPS for the quarter, which was below the expected $1.52.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,551,155 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 26,479 shares during the period. Kemper accounts for about 0.9% of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned about 5.55% of Kemper worth $237,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew 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 valued at $48,813,000 after buying an additional 331,770 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew 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 valued at $20,882,000 after buying an additional 200,346 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in 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 last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew 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 valued at $62,093,000 after buying an additional 135,499 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $0.2420 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $53.6420. 884,921 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 574,873. 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 cap of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $73.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.32.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kemper news, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845 in the last 90 days. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMPR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. JMP Securities lowered their target price on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.