Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Short Interest Update

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,130,000 shares, a growth of 6.6% from the January 15th total of 1,060,000 shares. Currently, 1.9% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 346,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Kemper Stock Performance

KMPR stock traded down $1.76 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.75. The company had a trading volume of 297,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 355,013. Kemper has a twelve month low of $54.11 and a twelve month high of $73.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.27. The company has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 0.88. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.66.

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

Kemper Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Kemper by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 26,630 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,769,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,698 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,242,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 32.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $597,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KMPR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of 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 lifted their target price on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.60.

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.