Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Receives $72.75 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Key Points

• Kemper Corporation has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from six research firms, with an average 1-year target price of $72.75.
• Insider transactions include Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchasing 500 shares at $61.71 each, and Jason N. Gorevic acquiring 2,000 shares at $49.14, increasing their respective positions in the company.
• Kemper recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, with a payout ratio of 24.11%, and announced a stock buyback plan authorizing up to $500 million in shares.

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.75.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. JMP Securities dropped their target price 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. Zacks Research raised Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, August 11th. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "underweight" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th.

Kemper Stock Performance

NYSE KMPR traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $53.95. The company had a trading volume of 1,012,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 826,568. Kemper has a fifty-two week low of $45.02 and a fifty-two week high of $73.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.28. The firm has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.16 and a beta of 1.30.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.42 earnings per share. Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Kemper will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Kemper's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.11%.

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

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This trade represents a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Kemper during the fourth quarter worth about $234,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Kemper by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 554,437 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $36,837,000 after acquiring an additional 55,994 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kemper by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 30,155 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,003,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the period. Comerica Bank grew its holdings in Kemper by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 114,543 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $7,610,000 after acquiring an additional 7,568 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new position in Kemper during the fourth quarter worth about $255,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.