Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Given Consensus Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) has been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three 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 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $54.50.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Citigroup lowered Kemper to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Kemper from $56.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research raised Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings lowered Kemper from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Citizens Jmp lowered Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Kemper by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,780,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $143,323,000 after acquiring an additional 795,131 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Kemper by 129.8% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,115,660 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,512,000 after acquiring an additional 630,241 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 4th quarter worth about $24,324,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 4th quarter worth about $20,730,000. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 3rd quarter worth about $24,340,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kemper Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:KMPR opened at $33.13 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13 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. Kemper has a 12-month low of $28.41 and a 12-month high of $66.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.99.

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

Kemper Dividend Announcement

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

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.