Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Buys New Shares in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Lecap Asset Management Ltd. has acquired a new stake in Kemper Corporation by purchasing 10,105 shares valued at approximately $652,000.
• Kemper recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 2.5% and a dividend payout ratio of 24.11%.
• The company has authorized a $500 million share buyback program, allowing it to repurchase up to 12.8% of its outstanding shares, indicating the board's belief that the stock is undervalued.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,105 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $652,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in Kemper by 4.8% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,688 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $380,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the period. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Kemper by 50.3% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 861 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Kemper by 104.4% in the 1st 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 during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in Kemper by 68.8% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 883 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Kemper by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $50.41 on Friday. Kemper Corporation has a 12 month low of $45.02 and a 12 month high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company's fifty day moving average price is $53.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.46. The stock has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.25.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. Kemper's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is 24.11%.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KMPR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other Kemper news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 6.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Kemper

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.

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