The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases New Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 30,274 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $816,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.05% of Kemper at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Kemper by 125.8% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 284,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,693,000 after purchasing an additional 158,488 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Kemper by 1,888.9% in the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 214,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,577,000 after buying an additional 203,417 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the 1st quarter worth $1,622,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Kemper during the second quarter valued at about $227,331,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in Kemper by 34.7% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 381,410 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $11,656,000 after purchasing an additional 98,200 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $27.95 on Friday. Kemper Corporation has a 1 year low of $22.69 and a 1 year high of $54.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.65 billion, a PE ratio of -3.33 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.17.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 21st were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.6%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently -15.24%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Stephen McAnena acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $26.50 per share, for a total transaction of $79,500.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $820,042.50. This trade represents a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Bradley Camden bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $26.34 per share, with a total value of $26,340.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 51,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,350,162.06. This represents a 1.99% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders acquired 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on KMPR. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $43.25.

Kemper Company Profile

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.