Citizens Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:CIA)

Key Points

• Unusually high bearish options activity: Investors purchased 3,000 put options on Citizens, 126% above its typical daily volume.
• CEO insider buying: CEO Jon Stenberg bought 10,000 shares at an average price of $4.82, increasing his holdings by 3.15%; insiders own 2.20% of the company.
• Weak financial outlook: Citizens missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, while analysts have cut future EPS forecasts. The stock recently traded up 5.6% to $3.93 but remains near its 52-week low, and the consensus rating is “Hold.”

Citizens, Inc. (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 3,000 put options on the company. This is an increase of 126% compared to the typical daily volume of 1,328 put options.

Insider Activity at Citizens

In other Citizens news, CEO Jon Stenberg acquired 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $4.82 per share, with a total value of $48,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 327,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,578,906.68. This represents a 3.15% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in shares of 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. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Citizens by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 10,724 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 5,141 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. bought a new position in Citizens in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Citizens during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $84,000. Institutional investors own 13.73% of the company's stock.

Citizens Trading Up 5.6%

CIA stock traded up $0.21 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $3.93. The stock had a trading volume of 56,235 shares, compared to its average volume of 113,015. The firm has a market cap of $197.68 million, a PE ratio of 18.71 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's 50 day moving average is $5.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.34. Citizens has a 52 week low of $3.56 and a 52 week high of $6.54.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.06). Citizens had a return on equity of 4.73% and a net margin of 4.55%.The company had revenue of $61.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $63.85 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Citizens will post 0.31 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Citizens from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Trending Headlines about Citizens

Here are the key news stories impacting Citizens this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: Sidoti initiated a FY2028 EPS estimate of $0.28, with quarterly forecasts ranging from $0.04 to $0.06 in the first half of 2028. The estimate is below the current full-year consensus of $0.31 but provides a longer-term earnings benchmark. Citizens stock information
• Negative Sentiment: Sidoti cut its FY2026 EPS forecast to $0.12 from $0.31 and its FY2027 forecast to $0.21 from $0.35. Both estimates are below the current analyst consensus of $0.31, signaling expectations for materially weaker profitability.
• Negative Sentiment: The revisions included reductions for Q3 2026 EPS to $0.03 from $0.08, Q4 2026 to $0.05 from $0.11, Q1 2027 to $0.03 from $0.06, Q2 2027 to $0.03 from $0.08, Q3 2027 to $0.05 from $0.10, and Q4 2027 to $0.09 from $0.12. The broad-based cuts suggest weaker near-term operating performance than previously expected.
• Negative Sentiment: The outlook is especially concerning against Citizens’ latest quarterly results, when the company reported $0.01 EPS versus the $0.07 consensus estimate and revenue of $61.9 million versus expectations of $63.85 million. The shares are trading well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages and near the one-year low, reflecting already-elevated investor concern.

Citizens Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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