Portolan Capital Management LLC Sells 83,103 Shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Portolan Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 26.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 230,197 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 83,103 shares during the period. Portolan Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kemper were worth $15,294,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Jane Street Group LLC increased its position in Kemper by 565.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,094 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,517,000 after buying an additional 34,922 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Kemper by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 543,044 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $36,080,000 after acquiring an additional 28,807 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Kemper by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Kemper by 102.9% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 201,756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $12,358,000 after purchasing an additional 102,339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Kemper in the 3rd quarter valued at $238,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Trading Down 2.3 %

KMPR stock opened at $56.80 on Monday. Kemper Co. has a 1-year low of $53.57 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business’s 50 day moving average is $65.34 and its 200-day moving average is $65.65. The firm has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.57 and a beta of 1.05.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. Equities analysts anticipate that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Kemper’s payout ratio is 26.07%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on KMPR. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. StockNews.com raised Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $81.60.

Kemper 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.