Brokerages Set Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) PT at $54.50

Shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) have been given an average recommendation of “Reduce” by the nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.50.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KMPR. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Citizens Jmp cut shares of Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. William Blair cut shares of Kemper from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $32.85 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $31.37 and a 200 day moving average of $38.21. Kemper has a twelve month low of $28.41 and a twelve month high of $66.13.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.85 by ($0.60). The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 8.02%. Kemper’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.78 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 39.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 557,786 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,288,000 after acquiring an additional 77,764 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the 1st quarter worth $260,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 198,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,253,000 after acquiring an additional 9,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 112.7% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 10,516 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 5,573 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

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.