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

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.

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed 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 changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Citizens from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Citizens has an average rating of "Strong Buy".

Citizens Trading Up 6.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $268.73 million, a PE ratio of 24.31 and a beta of 0.39. The stock's 50-day moving average is $3.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.25.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $62.78 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Citizens, Inc. will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Citizens

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey acquired a new stake in Citizens in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new stake in Citizens in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 14,157 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in Citizens in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Citizens in the second quarter valued at approximately $63,000. 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.