Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Upgraded to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. JMP Securities boosted their price objective on Kemper from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Raymond James upped their target price on Kemper from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. UBS Group upped their target price on Kemper from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Kemper from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $76.20.

Kemper Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:KMPR opened at $63.29 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of -33.31 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $61.57 and a 200-day moving average of $59.78. Kemper has a 52 week low of $38.32 and a 52 week high of $65.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.19 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 7.27% and a net margin of 1.11%. The business’s revenue was down 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.26) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Kemper will post 5.17 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 19th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -65.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kemper in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. CWM LLC raised its position in Kemper by 257.8% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 483 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Kemper in the first quarter worth about $36,000. Quarry LP raised its position in Kemper by 105.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kemper in the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Company 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.