Value
7.9/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| P/E | 3.0 |
| P/S | 10.0 |
| EV/EBITDA | 3.1 |
| Fwd P/E | 9.8 |
| PEG | 10.0 |
| Analyst target | 9.0 |
- ▸Forward P/E: 6.5x
- ▸PEG: 0.01
- ▸Attractively valued
KMPR · Why this verdict
Why Kemper (KMPR) is rated SELL
Updated
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Show full disclosure ▾Hide full disclosure ▴
About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.
Not investment advice. TrendMatrix is not a registered investment adviser. Our content is for informational and educational purposes only. Consult your own licensed investment adviser, broker, or tax professional before making any investment decision.
Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.
No paid promotion. TrendMatrix does not accept payment from any issuer, broker, or third party in exchange for coverage of any security. Our sole compensation is subscription revenue.
No fiduciary duty. No fiduciary, advisory, or agency relationship is created between you and TrendMatrix by reading our content or subscribing to our service.
Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.
VerdictSELL
Overall score4.1/10
ConfidenceMEDIUM
MacroNEUTRAL
Thesis pillars
| Pillar | Expectation | Trend |
|---|---|---|
With approximately 82% of premiums concentrated in California and Florida, the business faces a single-region cliff scenario — a sustained period of elevated catastrophe losses in either state could deliver idiosyncratic losses at a scale the current capital base may not absorb. Bear case | Geographic diversification visibly progresses, reducing the California and Florida combined share below 70% within four reported quarters. | →Stable |
| CounterIf catastrophe experience in California and Florida remains benign, the geographic concentration allows the company to benefit fully from hard-market pricing in both states — a scenario where concentration becomes a tailwind rather than a tail risk. | ||
Four consecutive quarterly earnings misses — with actual results averaging more than 60% below expectations — indicate that premiums are structurally mispriced relative to incurred losses, a pattern that cannot be explained by one-off events. Earnings | EPS results turn positive relative to estimates in at least two of the next four reported quarters, signaling that the pricing gap is closing. | →Stable |
| CounterAnalysts appear to be building increasingly negative assumptions into forward estimates following the miss streak; if the starting bar is now set low enough, actual results could surprise to the upside without a genuine operational improvement. | ||
Shares trade below a 200-day moving average that itself is declining at roughly 10% per month — a confirmed downtrend, not a temporary dip — compounding the fundamental headwinds with deteriorating price momentum. Momentum breakdown | Price reclaims the 200-day moving average and holds above it for at least 20 consecutive trading days. | →Stable |
| CounterRising on-balance volume indicates buyers are accumulating at lower prices; if institutional demand accelerates, the technical downtrend can reverse faster than the moving-average configuration currently suggests. | ||
A forward earnings multiple near 5.6x looks inexpensive in isolation, but the business scores below the minimum quality threshold across returns, margins, and competitive durability — a low multiple in the absence of earnings power is a potential value trap, not a genuine opportunity. Warnings | Business quality metrics improve sufficiently to clear the minimum investable quality bar within four reported quarters. | →Stable |
| CounterIf the recent miss streak reflected temporary storm-loss timing and underwriting corrective actions are already in place, quality metrics could improve faster than the historical run rate implies, and the low multiple could compress rapidly through earnings recovery. | ||
With approximately 82% of premiums concentrated in California and Florida, the business faces a single-region cliff scenario — a sustained period of elevated catastrophe losses in either state could deliver idiosyncratic losses at a scale the current capital base may not absorb.
→StableBear case
- Expectation
- Geographic diversification visibly progresses, reducing the California and Florida combined share below 70% within four reported quarters.
CounterIf catastrophe experience in California and Florida remains benign, the geographic concentration allows the company to benefit fully from hard-market pricing in both states — a scenario where concentration becomes a tailwind rather than a tail risk.
Four consecutive quarterly earnings misses — with actual results averaging more than 60% below expectations — indicate that premiums are structurally mispriced relative to incurred losses, a pattern that cannot be explained by one-off events.
→StableEarnings
- Expectation
- EPS results turn positive relative to estimates in at least two of the next four reported quarters, signaling that the pricing gap is closing.
CounterAnalysts appear to be building increasingly negative assumptions into forward estimates following the miss streak; if the starting bar is now set low enough, actual results could surprise to the upside without a genuine operational improvement.
Shares trade below a 200-day moving average that itself is declining at roughly 10% per month — a confirmed downtrend, not a temporary dip — compounding the fundamental headwinds with deteriorating price momentum.
→StableMomentum breakdown
- Expectation
- Price reclaims the 200-day moving average and holds above it for at least 20 consecutive trading days.
CounterRising on-balance volume indicates buyers are accumulating at lower prices; if institutional demand accelerates, the technical downtrend can reverse faster than the moving-average configuration currently suggests.
A forward earnings multiple near 5.6x looks inexpensive in isolation, but the business scores below the minimum quality threshold across returns, margins, and competitive durability — a low multiple in the absence of earnings power is a potential value trap, not a genuine opportunity.
→StableWarnings
- Expectation
- Business quality metrics improve sufficiently to clear the minimum investable quality bar within four reported quarters.
CounterIf the recent miss streak reflected temporary storm-loss timing and underwriting corrective actions are already in place, quality metrics could improve faster than the historical run rate implies, and the low multiple could compress rapidly through earnings recovery.
TrendMatrix Research · core thesis
Engine thesis — one sentence
A geographic concentration of 82% in two high-catastrophe-risk states, four consecutive large earnings misses averaging more than 60% below estimates, a confirmed technical downtrend, and business quality falling below the investable minimum collectively outweigh a superficially attractive forward multiple and make current positioning unwarranted.
Falsifiable statement — pillar-level invalidators below. Engine-derived; not personalized advice.
Per-dimension breakdown
Quality
3.0/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| ROE | 0.4 |
| ROA | 0.4 |
| Gross margin | 1.4 |
| Op margin | 0.3 |
| Net margin | 0.4 |
| Current ratio | 3.3 |
| FCF quality | 10.0 |
| Moat | 3.9 |
| Piotroski F | 6.7 |
- ▸Excellent cash conversion: 1000% FCF/NI
- ▸No competitive moat
- ▸Quality concerns
Growth
0.7/10data confidence 33%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| Rev growth | 0.7 |
- ▸Declining revenue: -7%
Momentum
5.7/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| RSI | 2.7 |
| MACD | 10.0 |
| OBV | 10.0 |
| MA position | 6.0 |
| Volume | 0.0 |
- ▸Overbought bear rally (RSI 75)
- ▸Volume accumulation (rising OBV)
- ▸Below 200-MA, MA slope -9.7%/30d — confirmed downtrend
Sentiment
6.6/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| Analyst rating | 5.0 |
| Price target | 9.9 |
| erm sentiment | 5.0 |
- ▸Analyst upside: 71%
Insider
5.0/10data confidence 50%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| materiality | 5.0 |
| holder change | 5.1 |
- ▸No net insider activity — $0 (0.000% of mkt cap)
Peer rank
1.5/10data confidence 80%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| value rank | 5.1 |
| quality rank | 0.4 |
| growth rank | 0.5 |
Technical
1.3/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| bollinger | 0.0 |
| support resistance | 0.2 |
| 52w position | 0.0 |
| gap | 5.0 |
Risk (lower is worse)
4.5/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| short interest | 6.1 |
| days to cover | 7.2 |
| volatility | 3.3 |
| put call | 0.0 |
| implied vol | 0.0 |
| beta | 6.9 |
| debt equity | 7.8 |
- ▸Elevated put/call: 3.75
- ▸High IV: 85%
- ▸Concentration risks: 2 HIGH (10-K Item 1A — sized via position_sizing, validated via buy_confidence)
Catalyst
3.0/10data confidence 100%| Component | Sub-score |
|---|---|
| erm | 5.0 |
| earnings history | 0.0 |
| earnings timing | 5.0 |
| surprise avg | 0.0 |
| dividend safety | 5.2 |
- ▸Earnings concerns: 0B/4M
- ▸Dividend: 444.0%
How the verdict was assembled
Engine trigger
Quality below minimum threshold.
Engine technical detail
verdict_path:
L1:HARD_BLOCKPassed (7)
- MOMENTUM:5.7>=5.5
- ASYMMETRY:3.0>=1.5
- INSIDER:OK
- NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
- EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:31d clear
- SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
- MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (1)
- FINSVC_REGIONAL_CLIFF:HARD_BLOCK
Warning (2)
- DEATH_CROSS:momentum=5.7>=5.0 recovering
- 8K_CSUITE_CHANGE:5.02 (officer departure/appointment)
Reward-to-Risk
3.02
Upside
+45.3%
Downside
15.0%
Sizing output
AVOID
SetupRecovery — Death cross but MACD improving, RSI 75
EdgeInst Constrain — Small cap ($1.7B) below institutional reach
SuitabilitySpeculative — Drawdown -53% (>40% off 52w high), Binary industry: Insurance - Property & Casualty
Investment implication
The L1 gate blocked the positive-verdict path: a hard-floor threshold was breached, so dimensional pillars — including Value at 7.9 could not lift the engine output above the verdict floor. Failed gate signal: FINSVC_REGIONAL_CLIFF:HARD_BLOCK.
The strongest dimensions are Value at 7.9, Sentiment at 6.6, and Momentum at 5.7; the weakest are Growth at 0.7, Technical at 1.3, and Peer rank at 1.5. The V9 engine flagged 1 failed gate with 2 warnings, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of 3.02 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.
What would invalidate the thesis
Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.
- P1Geographic Concentration Cliff Risk
Trip ifCalifornia and Florida combined share of premiums falls below 65% for 2 consecutive reported quarters, demonstrating material geographic diversification.
- P2Persistent Earnings Miss Streak
Trip ifEPS surprise exceeds 0% for 2 consecutive quarters.
- P3Confirmed Technical Downtrend
Trip ifPrice closes above the 200-day moving average and sustains above it for more than 20 consecutive trading days.
- P4Quality Floor Failure Value Trap
Trip ifQuality score rises above 4.0 for 2 consecutive quarters.