S&CO Inc. Takes Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

S&CO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 19,060 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $513,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Kemper by 125.8% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 284,458 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,693,000 after acquiring an additional 158,488 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 1,888.9% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 214,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,577,000 after purchasing an additional 203,417 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Kemper in the 1st quarter worth $1,622,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Kemper by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 381,410 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,656,000 after purchasing an additional 98,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 102.1% during the 1st quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 325,197 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,938,000 after purchasing an additional 164,315 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of Kemper stock opened at $27.38 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of -3.26 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.99. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $22.69 and a 52-week high of $54.90.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kemper Corporation will post 1.97 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 21st. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is -15.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KMPR shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Kemper from $35.00 to $28.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group cut their price target on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $43.67.

Insider Transactions at Kemper

In related news, Director Jason N. Gorevic acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $25.91 per share, for a total transaction of $129,550.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 31,802 shares in the company, valued at approximately $823,989.82. This trade represents a 18.66% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Carl Thomas Jr. Evans acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $26.53 per share, for a total transaction of $26,530.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 91,629 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,430,917.37. This trade represents a 1.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. Corporate insiders own 0.61% 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.