Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Shares Pass Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Technical breakout: Citizens (CIA) shares moved above their 200‑day moving average of $5.42, trading as high as $5.64 and last at $5.6250 on volume of 83,849.
• Earnings beat: The company reported $0.11 EPS vs. $0.08 expected and $72.07M in revenue vs. $67.89M, with a market cap around $283M and a P/E of 20.09.
• Insider buy amid cautious analyst view: CEO Jon Stenberg purchased 10,000 shares at $4.81, increasing his stake, while analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Hold."

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.42 and traded as high as $5.64. Citizens shares last traded at $5.6250, with a volume of 83,849 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CIA. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Citizens in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Citizens from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, March 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Citizens presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Citizens Trading Down 0.6%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $282.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09 and a beta of 0.48.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 12th. The insurance provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.03. Citizens had a return on equity of 7.23% and a net margin of 5.71%.The firm had revenue of $72.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.89 million. Equities analysts expect that Citizens, Inc. will post 0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jon Stenberg bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $4.81 per share, with a total value of $48,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 208,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,004,953.30. This represents a 5.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CIA. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of Citizens by 3,686.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 14,541 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 14,157 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in shares of Citizens by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 5,141 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens in the 2nd quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens in the 4th quarter valued at $84,000. 13.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Citizens Company Profile

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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