Zacks Research Downgrades Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) to Strong Sell

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup downgraded Kemper to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. William Blair lowered Kemper from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings raised Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Kemper in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $56.50.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR opened at $31.21 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a PE ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $37.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.74. Kemper has a 52-week low of $30.05 and a 52-week high of $69.83.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.60). The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.22 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 8.02% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 1,098.0% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 587 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 538 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Kemper by 187.1% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 646 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Kemper by 73.5% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 656 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Kemper during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Kemper during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.