Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Citizens (NYSE: CIA) from a "hold" to a "buy," though Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" and the stock's consensus rating remains "Hold."
• Citizens beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.11 EPS versus $0.08 expected and $72.07 million in revenue versus $67.89 million, with analysts forecasting about $0.32 in EPS for the year.
• CEO Jon Stenberg bought 10,000 shares at about $4.81, increasing his stake to 208,930 shares, while the stock trades near $4.59 with a market capitalization of roughly $230.6 million and a 12‑month range of $2.90–$6.40.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Citizens in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

Citizens Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of CIA opened at $4.59 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $5.47 and a 200 day moving average of $5.46. The company has a market capitalization of $230.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 0.43. Citizens has a 12 month low of $2.90 and a 12 month high of $6.40.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 12th. The insurance provider reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.03. Citizens had a return on equity of 7.23% and a net margin of 5.71%.The business had revenue of $72.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.89 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Citizens will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Citizens

In other Citizens news, CEO Jon Stenberg acquired 10,000 shares of Citizens stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $4.81 per share, for a total transaction of $48,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 208,930 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 accessible through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CIA. Continental General Insurance Co. bought a new stake in shares of Citizens in the second quarter worth approximately $1,505,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP lifted its position in Citizens by 18.7% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 37,931 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $199,000 after purchasing an additional 5,965 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Citizens in the second quarter worth approximately $77,000. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey purchased a new stake in Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at $100,000. Institutional investors own 13.73% of the company's stock.

About Citizens

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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