Trexquant Investment LP Has $7.43 Million Stake in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP increased its holdings in Kemper Corporation by 76.5%, acquiring an additional 48,172 shares, bringing its total ownership to 111,101 shares worth approximately $7.4 million.
• Kemper's board recently approved a $500 million stock buyback program, allowing the company to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares, indicating confidence in its stock value.
• The company reported EPS of $1.30 for the latest quarter, missing estimates, with revenue of $1.23 billion, reflecting an 8.5% increase compared to the previous year.

Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 76.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 111,101 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 48,172 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP owned approximately 0.17% of Kemper worth $7,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CX Institutional purchased a new position in shares of Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Kemper by 104.4% in the first 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 in the last quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in Kemper in the first quarter worth approximately $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 476 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KMPR traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $54.21. 290,516 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 576,525. Kemper Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $45.02 and a fifty-two week high of $73.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.46.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. Kemper's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders 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 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 18th. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.37 per share, with a total value of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. The trade was a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KMPR. Wall Street Zen cut Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. 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 note on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research raised Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, JMP Securities lowered their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Kemper Company Profile

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.