MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $17.56 Million Stock Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• MetLife Investment Management LLC significantly increased its stake in Kemper Corporation by 673.8% in the first quarter, acquiring 228,707 additional shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 0.41% worth $17.56 million.
• Kemper announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share with a yield of 2.4%, payable on September 2nd, and has a share buyback plan authorized for up to $500 million.
• Despite an 8.5% year-over-year revenue increase, Kemper reported quarterly earnings of $1.30 per share, missing analyst expectations by 22 cents, with a consensus estimate predicting 6.03 EPS for the current year.

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 673.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 262,650 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 228,707 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned 0.41% of Kemper worth $17,558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Kemper by 0.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 20,899 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in Kemper by 14.3% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $83,357,000 after acquiring an additional 158,102 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,238,284 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $82,271,000 after purchasing an additional 52,290 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,192,664 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $79,730,000 after purchasing an additional 97,770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, No Street GP LP raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 5.3% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders bought a total of 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845 in the last quarter. 6.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KMPR. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. 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 research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Piper Sandler restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.75.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $53.35. 543,398 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 577,823. 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 Corporation has a one year low of $45.02 and a one year high of $73.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.05 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.11 and a 200 day moving average of $61.92.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued 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 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%. The business's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the insurance provider to buy up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's payout ratio is 24.11%.

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.