Phocas Financial Corp. Has $10.56 Million Position in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)

Key Points

• Phocas Financial Corp. reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 5.3%, selling 8,926 shares, and now holds 157,999 shares valued at approximately $10.56 million.
• Directors Alberto J. Paracchini and Gerald Laderman both increased their holdings in Kemper by over 5% through recent purchases, highlighting confidence in the company's performance.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $79.40 for Kemper, following a downgrade by Piper Sandler, reflecting a current average rating of "Buy" from research analysts.

Phocas Financial Corp. lowered its position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 157,999 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 8,926 shares during the quarter. Kemper comprises 1.6% of Phocas Financial Corp.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Phocas Financial Corp. owned about 0.25% of Kemper worth $10,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Kemper by 104.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 650 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Kemper during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC raised its position 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 valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini acquired 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 10,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $62.24 per share, for a total transaction of $155,600.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 21,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,346,562.40. The trade was a 13.07% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $61.44. 81,298 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 492,784. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The company has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 1.27. The company's 50-day moving average price is $62.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.48. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $53.57 and a 52-week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.17. Kemper had a net margin of 7.38% and a return on equity of 15.02%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.07 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 19th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 19th. Kemper's payout ratio is currently 23.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Kemper from $86.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kemper currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $79.40.

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.