Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the five analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $80.40.

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 26th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Kemper Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of Kemper stock opened at $65.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.54 and a beta of 0.88. Kemper has a 52-week low of $53.46 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.03%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.44) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.52%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 565.8% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,094 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,517,000 after buying an additional 34,922 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its position in shares of Kemper by 244.2% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 18,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,155,000 after buying an additional 13,376 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in shares of Kemper by 81.1% in the third quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 838,085 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $51,333,000 after buying an additional 375,324 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 7.0% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 108,355 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,637,000 after buying an additional 7,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phocas Financial Corp. raised its position in shares of Kemper by 37.4% in the third quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 168,283 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $10,307,000 after buying an additional 45,796 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

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.