Marshall Wace LLP Trims Stake in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Marshall Wace LLP lowered its holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 83.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,443 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 148,358 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in Kemper were worth $1,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kemper by 141.9% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the 4th quarter worth $45,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 715 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 3rd quarter worth $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.60.

Kemper Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:KMPR traded down $0.60 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.09. 502,746 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 365,732. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $63.08 and a 200 day moving average of $65.38. Kemper Co. has a 12 month low of $53.57 and a 12 month high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 14.11%. On average, research analysts predict that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.32 dividend. This is a positive change from Kemper's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.07%.

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.