Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $70.32 and last traded at $69.70, with a volume of 27056 shares. The stock had previously closed at $69.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KMPR. StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Kemper from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Kemper from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Raymond James boosted their price target on Kemper from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.20.

Kemper Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.13. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61 and a beta of 0.85. 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 (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Kemper had a return on equity of 12.03% and a net margin of 5.86%. The business’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.44) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Kemper Co. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Kemper by 114.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Kemper by 5,590.0% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Kemper during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in Kemper by 105.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Kemper during the 3rd quarter worth $46,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Kemper

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.