Should You Buy Kemper Corp (KMPR) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Sell
Latest Price
38.500
1 Day change
0.31%
52 Week Range
72.250
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/26
Kemper Corp (KMPR) is not a good buy for a beginner investor with a long-term strategy and $50,000-$100,000 available for investment. The stock is facing significant challenges, including deteriorating fundamentals in the auto insurance sector, declining financial performance, and bearish technical indicators. Analysts have downgraded the stock, and there are no strong positive catalysts to suggest a recovery in the near term.
Technical Analysis
The technical indicators for KMPR are bearish. The MACD is below zero and negatively contracting, indicating a weak momentum. The RSI is at 36.836, which is neutral but leaning towards oversold territory. The moving averages are bearish, with SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5. The stock is trading near its support level (S1: 38.21), and resistance levels are far above the current price, suggesting limited upside potential.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
The high Option Volume Put-Call Ratio (1.75) indicates bearish sentiment among options traders, as more puts are being traded compared to calls.
Technical Summary
Sell
8
Buy
3
Positive Catalysts
Insiders are buying, with a 133.38% increase in insider buying over the last month.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Analysts have downgraded the stock, citing deteriorating fundamentals in the auto insurance sector and rising loss ratios.
Financial performance is weak, with a significant drop in net income (-128.49% YoY) and EPS (-129.82% YoY) in Q3
The stock has a 40% chance of declining by -7.8% in the next month based on similar candlestick patterns.
No recent news or event-driven catalysts to drive positive sentiment.
Financial Performance
In Q3 2025, Kemper's revenue increased by 5.20% YoY to $1.2449 billion. However, net income dropped significantly to -$21 million (-128.49% YoY), and EPS fell to -$0.34 (-129.82% YoY). The company's gross margin remained unchanged at 0%. These results indicate declining profitability despite modest revenue growth.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Analysts have a negative outlook on KMPR. William Blair downgraded the stock to Underperform, citing deteriorating auto insurance fundamentals and rising loss ratios. Piper Sandler lowered the price target from $50 to $35 and maintained an Underweight rating, highlighting Kemper's struggles in both personal and commercial auto markets.
Wall Street analysts forecast KMPR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KMPR is 47.5 USD with a low forecast of 35 USD and a high forecast of 60 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast KMPR stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for KMPR is 47.5 USD with a low forecast of 35 USD and a high forecast of 60 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
0 Buy
1 Hold
2 Sell
Moderate Sell
Current: 38.380
Low
35
Averages
47.5
High
60
Current: 38.380
Low
35
Averages
47.5
High
60
William Blair
Market Perform -> Underperform
downgrade
AI Analysis
2025-12-18
Reason
William Blair
Price Target
AI Analysis
2025-12-18
downgrade
Market Perform -> Underperform
Reason
William Blair downgraded Kemper to Underperform from Market Perform without a price target. The firm cut its near-term view on the auto insurance sector. Recent conversations with market participants suggest that auto fundamentals have begun to materially deteriorate in the last few months, the analyst tells investors in a research note. William Blair believes this will drive rising loss ratios and lower earnings in the back half of 2026. The stocks in the group will likely struggle to outperform in the next 12 months, the firm contends.
Piper Sandler
Paul Newsome
Underweight
downgrade
$50 -> $35
2025-11-06
Reason
Piper Sandler
Paul Newsome
Price Target
$50 -> $35
2025-11-06
downgrade
Underweight
Reason
Piper Sandler analyst Paul Newsome lowered the firm's price target on Kemper to $35 from $50 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares following quarterly results. While the personal lines market is increasingly competitive, Kemper seems to be struggling more than others, the firm says. Further, Kemper seems to be having trouble in commercial auto where there appears to be a wide range of peer results, Piper notes.
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