Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 3,196 Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPRFree Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,196 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 114.7% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 105.1% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group bought a new position 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 third quarter valued at $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE KMPR opened at $65.40 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.28 and a 200-day moving average of $64.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57 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:KMPRGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Kemper had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.44) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KMPR. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 26th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kemper in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.40.

Get Our Latest Research Report on KMPR

About Kemper

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Kemper (NYSE:KMPR)

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