Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) have received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $81.60.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James raised their target price on Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th.

Kemper Stock Down 1.6 %

KMPR opened at $66.02 on Thursday. Kemper has a 12 month low of $54.11 and a 12 month high of $73.01. The company has a market cap of $4.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $66.30 and a 200 day moving average of $64.57.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. Kemper’s payout ratio is presently 25.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Kemper by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,698 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,242,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Kemper by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $597,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in shares of Kemper by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 8,232 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atom Investors LP raised its holdings in shares of Kemper by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 19,240 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation, a diversified insurance holding company, engages in the provision of insurance products to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Specialty Property & Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property & Casualty Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance.