Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Upgraded by StockNews.com to "Hold" Rating

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Citizens Trading Up 0.6 %

Citizens stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 67,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 93,257. Citizens has a twelve month low of $1.99 and a twelve month high of $5.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $4.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.61. The firm has a market cap of $216.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 0.26.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The insurance provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.10 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $63.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.66 million. Citizens had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 11.50%. On average, equities analysts expect that Citizens will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Citizens

In related news, CEO Jon Stenberg bought 106,340 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3.89 per share, for a total transaction of $413,662.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 124,363 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $483,772.07. This represents a 590.02 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Citizens by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 52,379 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 10,267 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citizens by 2.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 458,886 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,662,000 after purchasing an additional 10,235 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Citizens by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 46,116 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $185,000 after buying an additional 2,901 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Citizens by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 145,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 7,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Citizens in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $92,000. 13.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.