Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.40 EPS

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The insurance provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40, Zacks reports. Kemper had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.03%.

Kemper Price Performance

NYSE KMPR traded up $2.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.52. The stock had a trading volume of 684,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,905. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $66.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.39. 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 company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.31 and a beta of 0.88. Kemper has a 52-week low of $54.11 and a 52-week high of $73.01.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. This is a boost from Kemper's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KMPR. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Raymond James upped their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.40.

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.

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