Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on KMPR. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Zacks Research raised Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $43.25.

Kemper Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE KMPR opened at $26.52 on Friday. Kemper has a 52 week low of $22.69 and a 52 week high of $53.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $27.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of -3.16 and a beta of 1.04.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a negative net margin of 10.84% and a positive return on equity of 2.89%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 earnings per share. Kemper’s revenue was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Kemper will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. Kemper’s payout ratio is -15.24%.

Insider Activity

In other Kemper news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 4,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $26.49 per share, with a total value of $105,960.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 33,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $883,838.85. This represents a 13.62% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Thomas Evans acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $26.53 per share, with a total value 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. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the second quarter worth $227,331,000. Walleye Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Kemper in the second quarter valued at $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Kemper in the second quarter valued at $20,800,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Kemper by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 672,685 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $20,557,000 after purchasing an additional 32,753 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at about $18,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation is an insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance products to individuals, families and businesses across the United States.

Kemper’s property and casualty operations focus on personal automobile insurance, including coverage for drivers who may have difficulty obtaining insurance through standard carriers. The company also offers home, renters and other personal insurance products, as well as specialty insurance solutions distributed through independent agents and other channels.

Through Kemper Life, the company provides life insurance products designed primarily for individuals and families, including coverage intended to help with final expenses and other financial needs.