Kemper Corporation $KMPR Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Kemper Corporation by 2.2%, owning 6,050,818 shares valued at approximately $404 million after selling 137,870 shares in the first quarter.
• Kemper recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share with a yield of 2.4%, along with a $500 million stock buyback program aimed at repurchasing up to 12.8% of its shares.
• The company's latest earnings report revealed a missed EPS estimate of $1.30 versus the projected $1.52, but revenue rose 8.5% year-over-year to $1.23 billion.

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,050,818 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 137,870 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 9.45% of Kemper worth $404,497,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter worth approximately $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 104.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded down $0.0860 on Wednesday, reaching $53.7840. The company had a trading volume of 783,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,097,164. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $45.02 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $60.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a PE ratio of 10.13 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

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 analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. 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 currently 24.11%.

Kemper announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMPR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JMP Securities reduced their price objective on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. One investment 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.com, Kemper presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $637,032.33. This trade represents a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.