Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $27.68 and last traded at $27.75, with a volume of 1101770 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.71.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KMPR. Citizens Jmp lowered shares of Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Kemper from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Kemper from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kemper from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $51.75.

Kemper Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.04 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average is $30.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.60). The company had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 0.89% and a return on equity of 4.80%. Kemper’s quarterly revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Kemper Corporation will post 2.3 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.0%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 206.45%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming increased its position in Kemper by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 4,431 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Kemper by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $927,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Kemper by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,278 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $169,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in Kemper by 73.5% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 656 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in Kemper by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,863 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $314,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

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.