Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA) saw its stock cross above its two hundred-day moving average of $4.35, trading as high as $5.54, indicating positive momentum in its market performance.
• Recent analysis from Wall Street analysts upgraded the stock from a "sell" to a "hold" rating, contributing to an overall average rating of "Buy" for the company.
• In the latest quarter, Citizens reported earnings of $0.13 per share, surpassing expectations and revealing a net margin of 4.57%, despite a slight shortfall in revenue compared to forecasts.

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $4.35 and traded as high as $5.54. Citizens shares last traded at $5.54, with a volume of 95,237 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Citizens from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Citizens in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy".

Citizens Price Performance

The company's 50-day moving average price is $5.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.35. The company has a market cap of $278.33 million, a P/E ratio of 25.18 and a beta of 0.39.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The insurance provider reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $62.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $62.78 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Citizens, Inc. will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the second quarter worth $32,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in Citizens in the second quarter valued at $63,000. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Citizens in the second quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new position in Citizens in the second quarter valued at $86,000. Institutional investors own 13.73% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.