William Blair Has Bearish Forecast for Kemper Q4 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair has revised its Q4 2025 EPS estimate for Kemper Corporation from $1.47 to $1.38, anticipating a lower performance for the insurance provider.
• Kemper recently posted quarterly earnings of $1.30 EPS, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.22.
• The company announced a stock buyback plan of $500 million, allowing it to reacquire up to 12.8% of its shares, indicating confidence in its stock valuation.

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) - Investment analysts at William Blair dropped their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Kemper in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 6th. William Blair analyst A. Klauber now expects that the insurance provider will earn $1.38 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.47. The consensus estimate for Kemper's current full-year earnings is $6.03 per share.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 earnings per share (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 analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.42 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KMPR. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities lowered their price target on Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.40.

Kemper Price Performance

Kemper stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.25. The stock had a trading volume of 1,345,776 shares, compared to its average volume of 897,830. Kemper has a one year low of $45.02 and a one year high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.46 and a beta of 1.27. The firm's 50 day moving average is $61.76 and its 200 day moving average is $63.14.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 18th. Kemper's payout ratio is presently 24.11%.

Kemper announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the insurance provider to reacquire up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kemper

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This trade represents a 13.87% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jason N. Gorevic bought 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, for a total transaction of $98,280.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 8,000 shares of company stock worth $432,845 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Kemper by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 13,551 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $900,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Kemper by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 11,147 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 1,556 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 52.1% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 20,228 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,335,000 after buying an additional 6,929 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in shares of Kemper during the fourth quarter worth $1,863,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the fourth quarter worth about $23,325,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

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.