Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Citizens, Inc. shares have crossed above their 200-day moving average, reaching a recent high of $5.87 before last trading at $5.68.
• Wall Street analysts upgraded the stock from a "sell" to a "hold" rating, with a consensus rating of "Strong Buy."
• The company reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, exceeding expectations, while revenue was slightly below forecasts at $62.68 million.

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.29 and traded as high as $5.87. Citizens shares last traded at $5.68, with a volume of 187,609 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Citizens from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Strong Buy".

Citizens Price Performance

The company's 50 day moving average is $4.78 and its 200 day moving average is $4.29. The stock has a market cap of $285.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.82 and a beta of 0.41.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.09. Citizens had a net margin of 4.57% and a return on equity of 6.42%. The firm had revenue of $62.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.78 million. Sell-side analysts predict that Citizens, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Citizens

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CIA. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Citizens by 3,686.7% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,541 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 14,157 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new position in Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at about $77,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at about $86,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.73% of the company's stock.

Citizens Company Profile

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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