Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Kemper Corporation experienced a 43.4% decline in short interest in September, bringing the total to 2,060,000 shares, with a short-interest ratio of 2.3 days.
• The company reported earnings of $1.30 per share for the last quarter, which was below analysts' expectations of $1.52 per share, while revenue matched estimates at $1.23 billion.
• Kemper recently announced a $500 million share repurchase plan, signifying management's belief that the company's stock is undervalued.

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 2,060,000 shares, a decline of 43.4% from the September 15th total of 3,640,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 915,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days. Approximately 3.3% of the company's stock are short sold. Approximately 3.3% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 915,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.32. The stock had a trading volume of 584,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,144,357. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $51.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $57.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Kemper has a one year low of $45.02 and a one year high of $73.01. The firm has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.29 and a beta of 1.25.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a return on equity of 14.39% and a net margin of 7.18%.The firm had revenue of $1.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.42 EPS. Kemper's revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Kemper will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

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

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In other Kemper news, 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, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 price of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 24,635 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in Kemper by 4.7% during the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,431 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in Kemper by 4.8% during the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 5,688 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $380,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in Kemper by 50.3% during the second quarter. CX Institutional now owns 861 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its holdings in Kemper by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 61,635 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,978,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Kemper by 39.1% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,228 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on KMPR. Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities dropped their price objective on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $67.25.

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.

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