Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Hits New 52-Week High Following Dividend Announcement

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $67.83 and last traded at $67.79, with a volume of 182622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $65.73.The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KMPR shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Kemper from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Kemper from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Kemper from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kemper has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $76.20.

Kemper Stock Up 3.2 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market cap of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15 and a beta of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $61.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.83.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 12.03% and a net margin of 5.86%. Kemper's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.44) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Kemper by 114.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 5,590.0% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 569 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper during the first quarter worth approximately $36,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Kemper by 105.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper in the third quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company's stock.

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.

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