Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.75.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Kemper in a research note on Friday, June 12th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Kemper from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Kemper from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th.

Kemper Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of KMPR opened at $27.37 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.14 and a beta of 1.04. Kemper has a one year low of $22.69 and a one year high of $62.47. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $31.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The insurance provider reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by ($0.60). Kemper had a net margin of 0.89% and a return on equity of 4.80%. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.65 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Kemper will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is 206.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KMPR. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Kemper by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,780,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,323,000 after buying an additional 795,131 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 12.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,776,543 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,131,000 after buying an additional 316,216 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Kemper by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,472,276 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $100,227,000 after acquiring an additional 140,539 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Kemper by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,212,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $142,764,000 after acquiring an additional 10,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,164,410 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $47,205,000 after acquiring an additional 48,750 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.