Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI) Short Interest Up 33.7% in March

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 33.7% in March to 142,164 shares (about 1.5% of shares short), yielding a days-to-cover of roughly 2.3 based on average volume.
• Institutional ownership stands at 55.11%, with recent buys from BNP Paribas, Osaic, Bank of America and a new stake by JPMorgan, signaling rising institutional interest.
• Analyst and fundamentals snapshot: Weiss Ratings upgraded CZWI to a Buy and the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (1 Buy, 1 Hold); the stock trades around $19.28 with a $185.65M market cap, a PE of 13.21, and a 2.2% dividend yield.

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 142,164 shares, an increase of 33.7% from the February 26th total of 106,342 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 62,204 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Community Bancorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 611.1% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,048 shares of the bank's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,760 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 858.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 2,687 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Citizens Community Bancorp by 5,348.0% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,086 shares of the bank's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 4,011 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in Citizens Community Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth $63,000. Institutional investors own 55.11% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Citizens Community Bancorp Price Performance

Shares of Citizens Community Bancorp stock traded down $0.14 on Friday, hitting $19.28. 25,310 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 61,716. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $18.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $17.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.65 million, a PE ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.66. Citizens Community Bancorp has a one year low of $12.69 and a one year high of $19.84.

Citizens Community Bancorp (NASDAQ:CZWI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.07. Citizens Community Bancorp had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 14.60%.The business had revenue of $15.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $16.30 million. On average, analysts forecast that Citizens Community Bancorp will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Citizens Community Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.105 dividend. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. 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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