Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Stock Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA) recently saw its stock price surpass the 200-day moving average, trading at $5.41 after reaching a high of $5.45.
• The company's CEO, Jon Stenberg, increased his stake by purchasing 30,000 shares at an average cost of $3.69, reflecting insider confidence in the stock.
• Analysts have upgraded Citizens' rating from "sell" to "hold" amid expectations of a 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Shares of Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $4.25 and traded as high as $5.45. Citizens shares last traded at $5.41, with a volume of 179,204 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Citizens from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th.

Citizens Stock Up 6.0%

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.25. The firm has a market cap of $271.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 0.39.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 6.42% and a net margin of 4.57%. The business had revenue of $62.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $62.78 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Citizens, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens

In other news, CEO Jon Stenberg bought 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $3.69 per share, with a total value of $110,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 179,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at $660,569.04. This represents a 20.13% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders acquired 37,350 shares of company stock valued at $138,105. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Citizens by 118.0% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,032,234 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,603,000 after purchasing an additional 558,840 shares during the period. Truffle Hound Capital LLC raised its position in Citizens by 85.7% in the first quarter. Truffle Hound Capital LLC now owns 700,000 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 323,137 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its position in Citizens by 7.4% in the second quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 598,750 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,090,000 after purchasing an additional 41,356 shares during the period. Continental General Insurance Co. purchased a new position in Citizens in the second quarter valued at about $1,505,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC raised its position in Citizens by 3.7% in the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 428,533 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,496,000 after purchasing an additional 15,433 shares during the period. 13.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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