Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $26.47 Million Stock Holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 398,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 18,320 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.62% of Kemper worth $26,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KMPR. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Kemper by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,985 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $597,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 25.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,579 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $171,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 44.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,220 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 993 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kemper by 172.7% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 3,932 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Kemper in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Trading Down 1.7 %

Shares of KMPR opened at $68.30 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.91 and a beta of 0.88. Kemper Co. has a 12-month low of $54.11 and a 12-month high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. As a group, research analysts predict that Kemper Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This is a boost from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.25%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.60.

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.