Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Citizens, Inc. shares moved above their 200-day moving average, trading as high as $5.66 and last changing hands around $5.56. The stock was up about 0.6% on the day.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the company holding a consensus rating of “Hold” after recent rating changes from Weiss Ratings and Wall Street Zen.
• CEO Jon Stenberg bought 10,000 shares in May, while institutional investors such as Vanguard, Geode Capital, and State Street also increased or maintained sizable positions.

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $5.39 and traded as high as $5.66. Citizens shares last traded at $5.5630, with a volume of 57,570 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CIA. Weiss Ratings raised Citizens from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered Citizens from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Citizens Trading Up 0.6%

The company's 50-day moving average is $5.47 and its 200 day moving average is $5.39. The firm has a market cap of $279.82 million, a PE ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 0.46.

Insider Activity at Citizens

In other Citizens news, CEO Jon Stenberg bought 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $4.82 per share, with a total value of $48,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 327,574 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,578,906.68. This represents a 3.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CIA. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Citizens by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,441,277 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $12,817,000 after purchasing an additional 21,783 shares in the last quarter. Continental General Insurance Co. grew its position in Citizens by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Continental General Insurance Co. now owns 2,176,694 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $10,513,000 after purchasing an additional 562,419 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Citizens by 118.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,032,234 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,603,000 after buying an additional 558,840 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Citizens by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 617,732 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,984,000 after buying an additional 43,826 shares during the period. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Citizens by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 473,232 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $2,286,000 after buying an additional 21,963 shares in the last quarter. 13.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Citizens

Citizens, Inc NYSE: CIA is a bank holding company headquartered in Conway, Arkansas. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Citizens Bank of Northern Arkansas, the company provides commercial and consumer banking services to individuals, small businesses and corporate clients across Northern and Central Arkansas.

Citizens offers a range of deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit, alongside lending solutions such as residential mortgages, commercial real estate loans and consumer installment loans.

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