Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Sunday,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings lowered Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $43.25.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $25.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.54. Kemper has a 1-year low of $22.69 and a 1-year high of $52.12. The company has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.06 and a beta of 1.04.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Kemper will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is -15.24%.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, CFO Bradley Camden acquired 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.34 per share, for a total transaction of $26,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,350,162.06. The trade was a 1.99% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Thomas Evans bought 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.53 per share, for a total transaction of $26,530.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,629 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,430,917.37. The trade was a 1.10% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders purchased 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KMPR. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the second quarter worth $227,331,000. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Kemper during the second quarter worth about $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Kemper during the second quarter worth about $20,800,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Kemper by 5.1% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 672,685 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,557,000 after buying an additional 32,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at about $18,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation is an insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance products to individuals, families and businesses across the United States.

Kemper’s property and casualty operations focus on personal automobile insurance, including coverage for drivers who may have difficulty obtaining insurance through standard carriers. The company also offers home, renters and other personal insurance products, as well as specialty insurance solutions distributed through independent agents and other channels.

Through Kemper Life, the company provides life insurance products designed primarily for individuals and families, including coverage intended to help with final expenses and other financial needs.