Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Upgraded to Hold at Zacks Research

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Kemper from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Kemper Stock Performance

KMPR stock opened at $26.77 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $29.74. Kemper has a 12-month low of $22.69 and a 12-month high of $54.64. The firm has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.19 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kemper will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, EVP Carl Thomas Jr. Evans bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $26.53 per share, for a total transaction of $26,530.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,629 shares in the company, valued at $2,430,917.37. The trade was a 1.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bradley T. Camden bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.34 per share, for a total transaction of $26,340.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,259 shares in the company, valued at $1,350,162.06. This represents a 1.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in Kemper by 187.1% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 646 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Kemper during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Kemper by 616.7% during 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 in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 11,455.6% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 1,031 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,388 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.