Engineers Gate Manager LP Increases Stock Position in Kemper Corporation $KMPR

Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its holdings in Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) by 24.9% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 100,312 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 19,999 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP’s holdings in Kemper were worth $2,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kemper during the second quarter valued at approximately $227,331,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Kemper by 2,186.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 1,797,989 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,474,000 after purchasing an additional 1,719,351 shares during the last quarter. Walleye Capital LLC bought a new stake in Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $21,709,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Kemper in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $20,800,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at $18,074,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Performance

NYSE:KMPR opened at $27.88 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.95. Kemper Corporation has a 52-week low of $22.69 and a 52-week high of $53.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a PE ratio of -3.32 and a beta of 1.04.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The insurance provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.11. Kemper had a positive return on equity of 2.89% and a negative net margin of 10.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Kemper Corporation will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 21st were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 21st. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently -15.24%.

Insider Activity at Kemper

In other news, EVP Thomas Evans purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $26.53 per share, for a total transaction of $26,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 91,629 shares in the company, valued at $2,430,917.37. This trade represents a 1.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Stephen J. Mcanena acquired 3,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $26.50 per share, with a total value of $79,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 30,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $820,042.50. This represents a 10.74% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 14,000 shares of company stock worth $367,880 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KMPR. UBS Group lowered their price target on Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Kemper from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kemper presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $43.25.

Kemper Profile

Kemper Corporation is an insurance holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides property and casualty insurance and life and health insurance products to individuals, families and businesses across the United States.

Kemper’s property and casualty operations focus on personal automobile insurance, including coverage for drivers who may have difficulty obtaining insurance through standard carriers. The company also offers home, renters and other personal insurance products, as well as specialty insurance solutions distributed through independent agents and other channels.

Through Kemper Life, the company provides life insurance products designed primarily for individuals and families, including coverage intended to help with final expenses and other financial needs.