Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI) Short Interest Down 21.1% in April

Key Points

• Short interest fell 21.1% in April to 102,097 shares (about 1.1% of shares outstanding) with a short-interest ratio of 2.4 days.
• The bank topped estimates for the quarter with $0.39 EPS vs. $0.36 expected and $16.11M in revenue, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.105 (annualized $0.42) for a ~2.0% yield.
• Institutional ownership is 55.11%, with notable activity including Daytona Street Capital’s new $2.7M position and increased stakes from Wells Fargo, Bank of America and JPMorgan.

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI - Get Free Report) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 102,097 shares, a decrease of 21.1% from the March 31st total of 129,363 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 42,795 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently, 1.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Community Bancorp

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in Citizens Community Bancorp during the fourth quarter valued at $2,702,000. Two Sigma Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $225,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 44.5% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,632 shares of the bank's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 3,273 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 109.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 8,573 shares of the bank's stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 4,487 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Citizens Community Bancorp by 58.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,210 shares of the bank's stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 2,659 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 55.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CZWI shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Citizens Community Bancorp from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Citizens Community Bancorp from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Citizens Community Bancorp Price Performance

NASDAQ CZWI traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $20.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,974 shares, compared to its average volume of 50,695. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.55 and a beta of 0.55. The company's 50-day moving average is $19.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.11. Citizens Community Bancorp has a 1-year low of $12.83 and a 1-year high of $22.62.

Citizens Community Bancorp (NASDAQ:CZWI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The bank reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $16.11 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.70 million. Citizens Community Bancorp had a return on equity of 8.05% and a net margin of 15.02%. Equities analysts forecast that Citizens Community Bancorp will post 1.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Community Bancorp Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.105 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Citizens Community Bancorp's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.77%.

About Citizens Community Bancorp

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbia Station, Ohio. Its primary subsidiary, Citizens Community Savings Bank, offers a range of community banking services to individuals and businesses. The company operates through a network of branch offices in Lorain and Medina counties and surrounding communities, providing personalized financial solutions with a focus on local relationships and customer service.

The bank's deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, while its lending portfolio features residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, and small-business financing.

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