Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Downgraded to "Hold" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on KMPR. TD Cowen upped their target price on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $80.40.

Kemper Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:KMPR traded up $0.24 on Thursday, reaching $66.05. 196,652 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,742. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.88. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $67.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Kemper has a 52 week low of $48.10 and a 52 week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 12.03% and a net margin of 5.86%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.44) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Kemper by 3.1% in the second quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,943 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Atom Investors LP raised its stake in Kemper by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 19,240 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Kemper by 114.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 105.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,010 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,069,000 after buying an additional 397 shares during the last quarter. 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.