Wellington Management Group LLP Grows Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Kemper Corporation to approximately $184.47 million, representing a 0.8% rise in its position during the first quarter.
• Kemper recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, with a yield of 2.4%, and also authorized a $500 million stock buyback program.
• Analysts’ ratings for Kemper stock vary, with Zacks Research issuing a "strong sell" rating while Cowen maintains a "buy" rating, leading to a consensus average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $72.75.

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 4.31% of Kemper worth $184,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. CX Institutional bought a new position in shares of Kemper during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co purchased a new position in Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Kemper in the 1st quarter worth $44,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 197.5% in the 4th quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 717 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Kemper stock traded up $0.2420 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $53.6420. The company had a trading volume of 884,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,129,497. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $45.02 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.71 and a 200 day moving average of $62.20.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released 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). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The company had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally 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 paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini bought 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $61.71 per share, with a total value of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $637,032.33. The trade was a 5.09% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845. 6.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. JMP Securities decreased their target price 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. Piper Sandler restated 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. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Kemper 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.