Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Upgraded to Hold at Wall Street Zen

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

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

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $25.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of -3.01 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Kemper has a 52-week low of $22.69 and a 52-week high of $52.25.

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

Kemper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given 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 5.1%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently -15.24%.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other Kemper news, CFO Bradley Camden acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.34 per share, with a total value of $26,340.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer owned 51,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,350,162.06. This trade represents a 1.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Stephen McAnena acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.50 per share, with a total value of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $820,042.50. This represents a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought a total of 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880 in the last ninety days. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Kemper by 125.8% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 284,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,693,000 after purchasing an additional 158,488 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Kemper by 28.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 536,164 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $14,455,000 after purchasing an additional 118,683 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Kemper by 1,888.9% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 214,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,577,000 after buying an additional 203,417 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Kemper in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,622,000. Finally, BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth about $227,331,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.