Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Short Interest Update

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,130,000 shares, a growth 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 currently 3.3 days. Currently, 1.9% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James lifted their price objective 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. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kemper currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.60.

Kemper Stock Performance

KMPR stock traded down $0.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $67.58. 326,889 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 336,464. Kemper has a 1 year low of $54.11 and a 1 year high of $73.01. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $66.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.22.

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

Kemper Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a positive change from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.25%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Kemper by 3.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,136,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $130,868,000 after purchasing an additional 79,622 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,238,284 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $82,271,000 after purchasing an additional 52,290 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Kemper by 108.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,105,859 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $73,363,000 after purchasing an additional 574,730 shares during the last quarter. No Street GP LP lifted its stake in Kemper by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. No Street GP LP now owns 1,100,000 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,084,000 after buying an additional 55,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,010,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $61,933,000 after buying an additional 9,412 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Company Profile

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.