Boston Partners Boosts Stake in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)

Key Points

• Boston Partners has increased its stake in Kemper Corporation by 14.3%, owning approximately 1.98% of the company, valued at $83 million.
• Kemper announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, with a 2.4% yield, and initiated a stock buyback plan allowing repurchases of up to $500 million in shares.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Kemper, with the average price target set at $72.75, reflecting a range of "sell" to "strong buy" ratings among different analysts.

Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 14.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 158,102 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.98% of Kemper worth $83,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CX Institutional bought a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co bought a new stake in Kemper during the first quarter valued at about $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Kemper in the first quarter worth about $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 197.5% in the fourth quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of Kemper stock traded down $0.90 on Friday, hitting $53.21. 927,082 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,041,486. Kemper Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $73.01. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.67. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 1.27.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities lowered their price target 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. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $72.75.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other Kemper news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini bought 500 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the acquisition, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 over the last 90 days. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.