Bank of Montreal Can Sells 130,715 Shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Bank of Montreal Can cut its stake in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 93.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,474 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 130,715 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in Kemper were worth $629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 141.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in Kemper in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Kemper by 32.2% in 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 in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Kemper during the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Kemper during the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded down $1.04 during trading on Friday, reaching $57.76. 49,494 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 364,640. Kemper Co. has a 52-week low of $53.57 and a 52-week high of $73.01. The stock has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $63.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.27.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. This is a boost from Kemper's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.07%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on KMPR shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target 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. Raymond James boosted their price target on Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $81.60.

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.