Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" 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.

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $72.75.

Several research firms recently issued reports on KMPR. Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. JMP Securities dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th.

Kemper Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:KMPR traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $54.21. The company's stock had a trading volume of 216,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 576,141. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Kemper has a 52-week low of $45.02 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.22 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $58.12 and a 200-day moving average of $61.46.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.Kemper's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kemper

In other Kemper news, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 22,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. This represents a 9.96% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $432,845. Corporate insiders own 0.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Kemper by 5,754.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 8,547 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 8,401 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Kemper by 822.6% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 41,102 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,653,000 after purchasing an additional 36,647 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Kemper by 70.5% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 24,017 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,550,000 after purchasing an additional 9,934 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its stake in Kemper by 4.7% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,431 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new position in Kemper in the second quarter worth about $295,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

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.