Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 2,173 Shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 138,053 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,173 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Kemper worth $9,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in Kemper by 565.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 41,094 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,517,000 after purchasing an additional 34,922 shares during the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its holdings in Kemper by 244.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 18,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 13,376 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in Kemper by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 108,355 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,637,000 after purchasing an additional 7,127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phocas Financial Corp. grew its position in shares of Kemper by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 168,283 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $10,307,000 after buying an additional 45,796 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Stock Performance

NYSE KMPR opened at $67.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.91. Kemper Co. has a 12-month low of $54.11 and a 12-month high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.77 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 (EPS) 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen raised their price objective 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. Raymond James raised their price objective on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price objective 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $81.60.

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.