Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

Citizens (NYSE:CIA) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Citizens Price Performance

NYSE:CIA traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $2.10. The stock had a trading volume of 67,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,312. The business’s 50 day moving average is $2.33 and its 200 day moving average is $2.76. Citizens has a fifty-two week low of $1.64 and a fifty-two week high of $3.69. The stock has a market cap of $104.10 million, a P/E ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Gerald Shields purchased 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were bought at an average price of $2.22 per share, for a total transaction of $35,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 168,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $374,567.28. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 24,000 shares of company stock worth $52,287. Insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. First Eagle Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens by 124.1% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 195,439 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $526,000 after acquiring an additional 108,226 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens by 10.2% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Citizens in the third quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Citizens in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 13.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Citizens Company Profile

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.