Phocas Financial Corp. Has $10.31 Million Stock Position in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR)

Phocas Financial Corp. increased its stake in shares of Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 37.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 168,283 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,796 shares during the quarter. Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings in Kemper were worth $10,307,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kemper by 279.3% in the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 10,170 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $623,000 after acquiring an additional 7,489 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Kemper in the third quarter worth $238,000. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Kemper during the third quarter worth $430,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,050 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MQS Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kemper during the 3rd quarter worth about $239,000. 86.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kemper Price Performance

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $70.54 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Kemper Co. has a 12-month low of $40.93 and a 12-month high of $71.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.90 and a 200-day moving average of $61.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 0.85.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.28. Kemper had a return on equity of 12.03% and a net margin of 5.86%. The company had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.44) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Kemper Co. will post 5.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Kemper Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Kemper’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Kemper from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Kemper from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Kemper from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $76.20.

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.