Strs Ohio Takes Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 24,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,621,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Kemper by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $184,466,000 after buying an additional 20,899 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its position in Kemper by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,263,961 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $83,357,000 after purchasing an additional 158,102 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 37.4% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,258,844 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,154,000 after purchasing an additional 342,649 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,192,664 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $79,730,000 after purchasing an additional 97,770 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 83.3% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 730,175 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,813,000 after purchasing an additional 331,770 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $49.14 per share, with a total value of $98,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 22,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,084,618.08. The trade was a 9.96% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Gerald Laderman acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $49.37 per share, for a total transaction of $148,110.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 24,635 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,216,229.95. This represents a 13.87% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on KMPR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Kemper to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. JMP Securities decreased their price target on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Kemper in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $72.75.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KMPR opened at $52.57 on Wednesday. Kemper Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.02 and a 52 week high of $73.01. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $56.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 1.30.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.52 by ($0.22). Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the insurance provider to repurchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 18th. Kemper’s payout ratio is 24.11%.

Kemper Company 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.