Kemper Corporation $KMPR Stake Lessened by Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.

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 Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 0.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,551,155 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 26,479 shares during the period. Kemper makes up 0.9% of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned 5.55% of Kemper worth $237,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Kemper by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,238,284 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $82,271,000 after purchasing an additional 52,290 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP boosted its holdings 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 last quarter. Finally, No Street GP LP boosted its holdings in Kemper by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. No Street GP LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $73,084,000 after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on KMPR. JMP Securities reduced their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research raised Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Piper Sandler restated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 22,072 shares in the company, valued at $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini acquired 500 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,032.33. This represents a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 in the last three months. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $0.2420 on Friday, reaching $53.6420. 884,921 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,129,497. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. The company's 50-day moving average is $59.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.24. The firm has a market cap of $3.37 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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

Kemper announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.