Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on KMPR. William Blair cut shares of Kemper from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. UBS Group set a $56.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Kemper from $50.00 to $35.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $56.50.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $32.08 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $38.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.93. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.65 and a beta of 1.14. Kemper has a fifty-two week low of $30.05 and a fifty-two week high of $69.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.18.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.60). The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 8.02% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. Research analysts predict that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kemper in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $133,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in Kemper in the 4th quarter valued at $3,550,000. Walleye Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 826.6% in the 4th quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 160,882 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,522,000 after purchasing an additional 143,520 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Kemper by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 4th quarter worth $2,639,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) is a diversified insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Formed through the rebranding of Unitrin in 2010, Kemper has established a nationwide presence by offering a broad array of property and casualty insurance products. The company distributes its products through independent agents, brokers and direct-to-consumer channels, serving both individual policyholders and commercial clients.

The personal insurance segment provides coverage for automobiles, homeowners, renters and umbrella lines, while the commercial business focuses on liability, workers’ compensation and specialty property solutions tailored to small and mid-sized enterprises.