Wellington Management Group LLP Acquires 20,899 Shares of 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 raised its stake in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 4.31% of Kemper worth $184,466,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,147 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,556 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 158.1% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 75,036 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,987,000 after buying an additional 45,969 shares during the period. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,642 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,106,000 after buying an additional 741 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 33,943 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,255,000 after buying an additional 2,643 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 212.4% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,752 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 7,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 this link. Also, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $61.71 per share, for a total transaction of $30,855.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on KMPR. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a 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 report on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kemper currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.75.

Kemper Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded up $0.28 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.20. 706,247 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,156,842. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $59.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.98. The company has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 10.02 and a beta of 1.27. Kemper Corporation has a 12 month low of $45.02 and a 12 month high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.42 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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 issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Kemper's payout ratio is 24.11%.

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.