Phocas Financial Corp. Has $1.68 Million Stock Holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Phocas Financial Corp. cut its stake in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR - Free Report) by 84.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,329 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 142,954 shares during the period. Kemper makes up about 1.3% of Phocas Financial Corp.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Phocas Financial Corp.'s holdings in Kemper were worth $1,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KMPR. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 81.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 1,070.6% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 140,189 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $8,526,000 after buying an additional 128,213 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 102.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 201,756 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $12,358,000 after buying an additional 102,339 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 60.2% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 236,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $14,480,000 after buying an additional 88,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Kemper by 3.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,136,621 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $130,868,000 after buying an additional 79,622 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMPR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James boosted their target price on Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.60.

Kemper Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of KMPR traded up $1.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $67.59. 392,683 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 335,928. The company has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's 50 day moving average is $66.03 and its 200-day moving average is $64.91. Kemper Co. has a 52 week low of $54.11 and a 52 week high of $73.01. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. This is an increase from Kemper's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Kemper's dividend payout ratio is 26.07%.

Kemper 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.