Brokerages Set Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) Price Target at $81.60

Shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $81.60.

KMPR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James raised their target price 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. StockNews.com raised Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Kemper from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th.

Kemper Stock Performance

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $65.53 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $66.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35 and a beta of 0.88. Kemper has a 52-week low of $54.11 and a 52-week high of $73.01.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts forecast that Kemper will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.95%. This is an increase from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.07%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kemper

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners raised its stake 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 buying an additional 574,730 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its stake in shares of Kemper by 81.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 838,085 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $51,333,000 after purchasing an additional 375,324 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Kemper by 69.2% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 916,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,661,000 after purchasing an additional 374,798 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Kemper in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $23,325,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Kemper by 3,378.5% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 220,712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,724,000 after buying an additional 214,367 shares during the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.