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

Phocas Financial Corp. lessened its position in Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 166,925 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,358 shares during the period. Kemper comprises 1.5% of Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Phocas Financial Corp.’s holdings in Kemper were worth $11,090,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Kemper by 108.2% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,105,859 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $73,363,000 after purchasing an additional 574,730 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kemper by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 916,195 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $60,661,000 after acquiring an additional 374,798 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kemper in the 4th quarter worth approximately $23,325,000. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kemper by 3,378.5% in the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 220,712 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $15,724,000 after purchasing an additional 214,367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kemper during the 4th quarter valued at $14,016,000. Institutional investors own 86.23% of the company’s stock.

Kemper Stock Performance

Kemper stock opened at $61.87 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 1.26. Kemper Co. has a 1-year low of $53.57 and a 1-year high of $73.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $61.70 and a 200-day moving average of $65.28.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The insurance provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.17. Kemper had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 6.85%. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.07 EPS. Kemper’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Kemper Co. will post 6.03 EPS for the current year.

Kemper Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, May 19th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 19th. Kemper’s payout ratio is currently 23.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Kemper from $86.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. 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 stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $79.40.

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.