Phocas Financial Corp. Increases Stock Holdings in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Phocas Financial Corp. boosted its stake in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,230 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 976 shares during the period. Phocas Financial Corp. owned 0.09% of Kemper worth $2,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Kemper by 211.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 532 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Gyon Technologies Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Kemper during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in Kemper in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in Kemper in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Kemper by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,262 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. 86.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kemper Stock Up 1.1 %

KMPR stock opened at $56.01 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $58.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $50.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Kemper Co. has a twelve month low of $38.32 and a twelve month high of $64.69.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The insurance provider reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.78. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Kemper had a negative net margin of 5.50% and a negative return on equity of 2.37%. As a group, research analysts predict that Kemper Co. will post 4.17 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 20th were paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 16th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -29.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KMPR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Kemper in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James raised their target price on Kemper from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Kemper from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Kemper from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.40.

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.