Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Short Interest Up 17.7% in February

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,907,812 shares, a growth of 17.7% from the February 12th total of 2,470,122 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 968,953 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 5.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 968,953 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMPR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. William Blair downgraded shares of Kemper from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Kemper to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kemper currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $56.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in Kemper by 39.9% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,933 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kemper by 16.2% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 557,786 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $37,288,000 after purchasing an additional 77,764 shares during the period. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at $260,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Kemper by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 198,248 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $13,253,000 after acquiring an additional 9,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its stake in Kemper by 112.7% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 10,516 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $703,000 after acquiring an additional 5,573 shares during the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE KMPR traded up $0.44 on Tuesday, hitting $30.19. 602,481 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 855,183. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $34.72 and a 200-day moving average of $41.40. The company has a market cap of $1.77 billion, a PE ratio of 13.78 and a beta of 1.16. Kemper has a 12 month low of $28.41 and a 12 month high of $69.25.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.60). Kemper had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 8.02%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.45%.

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.