Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Short Interest Up 6.6% in January

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,130,000 shares, an increase of 6.6% from the January 15th total of 1,060,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 346,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 1.9% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Kemper Trading Down 2.6 %

Shares of KMPR stock traded down $1.76 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $65.75. 297,715 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 355,013. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $66.13 and a 200 day moving average of $64.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Kemper has a 1 year low of $54.11 and a 1 year high of $73.01. The firm has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a PE ratio of 13.39 and a beta of 0.88.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a net margin of 6.85% and a return on equity of 14.11%. Analysts expect that Kemper will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. This is a boost from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KMPR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 114.7% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Kemper by 5,590.0% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 569 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kemper by 141.9% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Kemper in the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Kemper in the 3rd quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KMPR. Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 26th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company 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.