Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 145,103 Shares of Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has reduced its stake in Kemper Corporation by 30.9%, selling 145,103 shares, leaving it with 324,605 shares valued at approximately $21.7 million.
• Kemper recently reported earnings per share of $1.30 for the last quarter, missing analyst expectations of $1.52, despite achieving revenues of $1.23 billion, which met consensus estimates.
• The company has approved a $500 million stock buyback program, indicative of management's belief that the stock is undervalued, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 30.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 324,605 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 145,103 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.51% of Kemper worth $21,700,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its position in Kemper by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,688 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $380,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. 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 acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in Kemper by 68.8% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 883 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Kemper by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,268 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $85,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Kemper by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,948 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of KMPR stock traded up $0.5550 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $53.9550. The company's stock had a trading volume of 145,291 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,442. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper Corporation has a one year low of $45.02 and a one year high of $73.01. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $59.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.32. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper announced that its board has approved a stock 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 typically a sign that the company's management 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 2.4%. Kemper's payout ratio is currently 24.11%.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, 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. Insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845 over the last ninety days. 6.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on KMPR. Piper Sandler restated an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JMP Securities cut their price objective on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Kemper currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $72.75.

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.