Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Stock Rating Cut to Strong Sell at Zacks Research

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 27th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $37.67.

Kemper Price Performance

KMPR opened at $28.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. Kemper has a 52-week low of $22.69 and a 52-week high of $49.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of -3.44 and a beta of 1.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $27.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.24.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a positive return on equity of 2.89% and a negative net margin of 10.84%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Kemper will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Thomas Evans purchased 1,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.53 per share, with a total value of $26,530.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 91,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,917.37. This trade represents a 1.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 4,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.49 per share, for a total transaction of $105,960.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 33,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,838.85. This trade represents a 13.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its position in Kemper by 616.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 946 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 814 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 108.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 456.6% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,436 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth about $83,000. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals, families and businesses in the United States. Its operations focus primarily on personal and commercial automobile insurance, along with related coverage designed for customers in specialty and preferred insurance markets.

The company offers products that may include nonstandard and standard auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal insurance solutions.