Phocas Financial Corp. Decreases Stock Holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Phocas Financial Corp. lessened its stake in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 84.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,329 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 142,954 shares during the quarter. Kemper comprises about 1.3% of Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings in Kemper were worth $1,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in 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 during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Kemper by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $597,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Atom Investors LP boosted its stake in Kemper by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 19,240 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,178,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its position in Kemper by 24.2% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,036 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on KMPR shares. TD Cowen raised their price target 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. StockNews.com raised Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $81.60.

Kemper Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of KMPR opened at $65.83 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.91 and a 200 day moving average of $64.84. Kemper Co. has a 52-week low of $54.11 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The company has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.41 and a beta of 0.88.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its 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 net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 14.11%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.94%. This is a boost from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is 26.07%.

Kemper Profile

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.