Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) to Issue Dividend Increase – $0.32 Per Share

Kemper Co. (NYSE:KMPR) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 5th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of 0.32 per share by the insurance provider on Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.87%. This is a positive change from Kemper’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31.

Kemper has a dividend payout ratio of 19.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Kemper to earn $5.99 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.24 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 20.7%.

Kemper Price Performance

Kemper stock traded up $2.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $68.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 684,304 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,902. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31 and a beta of 0.88. Kemper has a twelve month low of $54.11 and a twelve month high of $73.01. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $66.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.39.

Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.38 by $0.40. Kemper had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 12.03%. Research analysts forecast that Kemper will post 5.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KMPR shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kemper from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Kemper from $72.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Kemper from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 26th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $80.40.

Kemper Company 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.