Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Shares Break Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Kemper shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching $32.88 and last trading near $32.57, compared with the 200-day average of $29.78.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed to negative: the stock has a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $37.67, with two Buy, two Hold, and four Sell ratings.
• Kemper beat quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $0.45 versus the $0.34 consensus, but revenue fell 10.8% year over year and the company posted a negative net margin. It also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, representing a 3.9% yield.

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $29.78 and traded as high as $32.88. Kemper shares last traded at $32.5690, with a volume of 1,033,517 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kemper from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 27th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Zacks Research cut Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kemper from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $37.67.

Kemper Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The stock's 50-day moving average is $27.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $29.78. The stock has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of -3.88 and a beta of 1.07.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a positive return on equity of 2.89% and a negative net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.30 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.9%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is -15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman bought 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.49 per share, for a total transaction of $105,960.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 33,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $883,838.85. This trade represents a 13.62% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Stephen McAnena acquired 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.50 per share, with a total value of $79,500.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 30,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $820,042.50. This trade represents a 10.74% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 2nd quarter valued at about $227,331,000. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new position in Kemper in the 2nd quarter valued at $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Kemper in the 2nd quarter valued at $20,800,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Kemper by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 672,685 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $20,557,000 after buying an additional 32,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Kemper by 28.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 536,164 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $14,455,000 after buying an additional 118,683 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation NYSE: KMPR is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals, families and businesses in the United States. Its operations focus primarily on personal and commercial automobile insurance, along with related coverage designed for customers in specialty and preferred insurance markets.

The company offers products that may include nonstandard and standard auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal insurance solutions.

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