Kemper (NYSE:KMPR) Is Due To Pay A Dividend Of US$0.31
The board of Kemper Corporation (NYSE:KMPR) has announced that it will pay a dividend on the 1st of March, with investors receiving US$0.31 per share. This means that the annual payment will be 2.4% of the current stock price, which is in line with the average for the industry.
View our latest analysis for Kemper
Kemper's Distributions May Be Difficult To Sustain
Unless the payments are sustainable, the dividend yield doesn't mean too much. Kemper is not generating a profit, but its free cash flows easily cover the dividend, leaving plenty for reinvestment in the business. This gives us some comfort about the level of the dividend payments.
Over the next year, EPS could expand by 15.5% if recent trends continue. We like to see the company moving towards profitability, but this probably won't be enough for it to post positive net income this year. The healthy cash flows are definitely as good sign, though so we wouldn't panic just yet, especially with the earnings growing.
Kemper Has A Solid Track Record
The company has been paying a dividend for a long time, and it has been quite stable which gives us confidence in the future dividend potential. Since 2012, the first annual payment was US$0.96, compared to the most recent full-year payment of US$1.24. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 2.6% per annum over that time. Although we can't deny that the dividend has been remarkably stable in the past, the growth has been pretty muted.
The Company Could Face Some Challenges Growing The Dividend
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. Kemper has seen EPS rising for the last five years, at 16% per annum. Even though the company isn't making a profit, strong earnings growth could turn that around in the near future. Assuming the company can post positive net income numbers soon, it could has the potential to be a decent dividend payer.
In Summary
Overall, we don't think this company makes a great dividend stock, even though the dividend wasn't cut this year. The company has been bring in plenty of cash to cover the dividend, but we don't necessarily think that makes it a great dividend stock. We would probably look elsewhere for an income investment.
Market movements attest to how highly valued a consistent dividend policy is compared to one which is more unpredictable. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. As an example, we've identified 1 warning sign for Kemper that you should be aware of before investing. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our curated list of strong dividend payers.
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