Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Hits New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $29.86 and last traded at $30.31, with a volume of 214597 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.78.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on KMPR. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Citizens Jmp lowered Kemper from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group set a $56.00 price target on Kemper in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research downgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lowered Kemper to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $56.50.

Kemper Stock Down 3.2%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $35.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The insurance provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by ($0.60). Kemper had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 8.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Kemper Corporation will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kemper by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,780,270 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $143,323,000 after acquiring an additional 795,131 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Kemper by 12.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,776,543 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $143,131,000 after purchasing an additional 316,216 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,472,276 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $100,227,000 after purchasing an additional 140,539 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 0.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,212,025 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $142,764,000 after purchasing an additional 10,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Kemper by 19.3% in the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,508,352 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,026,000 after purchasing an additional 244,391 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kemper Company Profile

Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) is a diversified insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Formed through the rebranding of Unitrin in 2010, Kemper has established a nationwide presence by offering a broad array of property and casualty insurance products. The company distributes its products through independent agents, brokers and direct-to-consumer channels, serving both individual policyholders and commercial clients.

The personal insurance segment provides coverage for automobiles, homeowners, renters and umbrella lines, while the commercial business focuses on liability, workers’ compensation and specialty property solutions tailored to small and mid-sized enterprises.