Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Given New $35.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) had its target price cut by Piper Sandler from $50.00 to $35.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the insurance provider’s stock.

KMPR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. JMP Securities lowered their price target on shares of Kemper from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Kemper in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kemper in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.50.

Kemper Stock Performance

KMPR stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $37.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,854,639 shares, compared to its average volume of 694,048. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.77. Kemper has a 52-week low of $33.91 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $2.33 billion, a PE ratio of 6.98 and a beta of 1.23.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.33 by ($1.00). Kemper had a net margin of 7.18% and a return on equity of 14.39%. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, August 5th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the insurance provider to purchase up to 12.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.11%.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Kemper by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,759,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $184,466,000 after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,212,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $142,764,000 after acquiring an additional 10,213 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 57.7% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,985,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $127,783,000 after buying an additional 726,295 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in Kemper by 19.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,508,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $97,026,000 after acquiring an additional 244,391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,310,206 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $84,561,000 after purchasing an additional 117,542 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.