Prudential Financial Inc. Boosts Stake in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 3,378.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 220,712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 214,367 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Kemper were worth $15,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KMPR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kemper by 141.9% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in Kemper during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Kemper by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Kemper in the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Kemper during the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Kemper Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $68.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Kemper Co. has a one year low of $54.11 and a one year high of $73.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $66.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.55. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.00 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kemper Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.86%. This is an increase from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.07%.

Kemper 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.