StockNews.com Upgrades Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) to Buy

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KMPR. Raymond James upped their price objective on Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 26th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.40.

Kemper Trading Down 0.8 %

Kemper stock traded down $0.51 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $64.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 228,993 shares, compared to its average volume of 346,448. Kemper has a 1 year low of $48.44 and a 1 year high of $73.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.38 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $67.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.64.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.28. Kemper had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.03%. The company had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.44) earnings per share. Kemper’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Kemper will post 5.36 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Kemper

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 32.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 715 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Kemper by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 5,943 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Atom Investors LP increased its stake in Kemper by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 19,240 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,178,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in Kemper by 105.1% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 642 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Kemper by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 18,010 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,069,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares during the period. 86.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.