Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to "Sell"

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Citizens Stock Performance

Citizens stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $3.82. 8,836 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 106,239. Citizens has a 12 month low of $2.33 and a 12 month high of $5.95. The company has a market cap of $190.54 million, a PE ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $4.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.50.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The insurance provider reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $63.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.66 million. Citizens had a return on equity of 11.50% and a net margin of 8.87%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Citizens will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jon Stenberg acquired 106,340 shares of Citizens stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3.89 per share, for a total transaction of $413,662.60. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,363 shares in the company, valued at $483,772.07. The trade was a 590.02% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Citizens by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 46,116 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 2,901 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Citizens by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 145,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 7,035 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Citizens during the 4th quarter worth approximately $92,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC grew its position in Citizens by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 554,894 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,225,000 after purchasing an additional 68,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truffle Hound Capital LLC acquired a new position in Citizens during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,511,000. 13.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Citizens

Citizens, Inc provides life insurance products in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Life Insurance and Home Service Insurance. The Life Insurance segment issues ordinary whole life insurance and endowment policies in the United States dollar-denominated amounts to non-U.S.

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