Natixis Advisors LLC Has $5.28 Million Stock Position in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kemper Corporation by 43.1% to approximately $5.28 million, owning 78,919 shares after acquiring an additional 23,762 shares in the first quarter.
• Kemper Corporation's shares have recently traded down by 21.5%, reaching $48.29, with a market capitalization of $3.09 billion and a P/E ratio of 9.09.
• The company announced a $500 million share buyback program, allowing it to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock, indicating management's belief that the shares are undervalued.

Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 43.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 78,919 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 23,762 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.12% of Kemper worth $5,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,551 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $900,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 16.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kemper during the fourth quarter worth about $14,016,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 8,232 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $547,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in Kemper by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 108,703 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $7,222,000 after buying an additional 5,082 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kemper news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 10,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $637,032.33. This represents a 5.09% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. Corporate insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Kemper Stock Performance

Kemper stock traded up $2.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $50.56. The company had a trading volume of 2,604,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 820,895. Kemper Corporation has a one year low of $45.02 and a one year high of $73.01. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 7.63 and a beta of 1.27. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $62.29 and a 200 day moving average of $63.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%. The firm 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 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 23.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KMPR. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. JMP Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. 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 research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kemper has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.40.

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.