Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Grows Stock Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 74.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,942 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 19,194 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.07% of Kemper worth $3,004,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,147 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kemper by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,228 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 6,929 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kemper in the 4th quarter worth $23,325,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 26,630 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,769,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 52.0% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,640 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In other news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 22,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were bought at an average price of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $637,032.33. This represents a 5.09% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. Insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Kemper Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE KMPR traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $52.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 201,226 shares, compared to its average volume of 563,481. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $60.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.63. 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 1 year low of $45.02 and a 1 year high of $73.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 1.27.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%. The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KMPR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, JMP Securities cut their price objective on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kemper has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.