Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday. The stock had previously closed at $29.48, but opened at $31.29. Kemper shares last traded at $32.72, with a volume of 37,181 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $37.67.

Kemper Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.87 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.82.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -15.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kemper

In other Kemper news, Director Jason Gorevic bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.91 per share, with a total value of $129,550.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 31,802 shares in the company, valued at $823,989.82. This represents a 18.66% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen McAnena purchased 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.50 per share, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $820,042.50. This trade represents a 10.74% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 108.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 47.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its stake in Kemper by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 8,977 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 759 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Kemper by 616.7% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 946 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Kemper by 264.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 1,354 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals, families and businesses in the United States. Its operations focus primarily on personal and commercial automobile insurance, along with related coverage designed for customers in specialty and preferred insurance markets.

The company offers products that may include nonstandard and standard auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal insurance solutions.