Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Stock Gets Downgrade from Zacks Research

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on KMPR. Weiss Ratings cut Kemper from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kemper from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, September 27th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Kemper from $44.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Kemper from $81.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $37.67.

Kemper Stock Down 2.8%

KMPR opened at $28.91 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.44 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.24. Kemper has a twelve month low of $22.69 and a twelve month high of $49.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gerald Laderman purchased 4,000 shares of Kemper stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $26.49 per share, for a total transaction of $105,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 33,365 shares in the company, valued at $883,838.85. This represents a 13.62% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Bradley Camden acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $26.34 per share, for a total transaction of $26,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,350,162.06. This represents a 1.99% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 14,000 shares of company stock valued at $367,880. 0.61% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kemper by 108.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 47.2% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,114 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Kemper by 616.7% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 946 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Kemper in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 14.5% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 9,974 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $305,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

About Kemper

Kemper Corporation (NYSE: KMPR) is an insurance holding company that provides property and casualty insurance products to individuals, families and businesses in the United States. Its operations focus primarily on personal and commercial automobile insurance, along with related coverage designed for customers in specialty and preferred insurance markets.

The company offers products that may include nonstandard and standard auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, and other personal insurance solutions.