Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $53.57 and last traded at $54.53, with a volume of 20659 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $57.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $81.60.

Kemper Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $66.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.38 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 14.11%. On average, analysts forecast that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a positive change from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.07%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 565.8% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,094 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,517,000 after buying an additional 34,922 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 543,044 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $36,080,000 after purchasing an additional 28,807 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 44.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 102.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 201,756 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,358,000 after purchasing an additional 102,339 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Kemper in the 3rd quarter valued at $238,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation, a diversified insurance holding company, engages in the provision of insurance products to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Property & Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property & Casualty Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance.