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

Citizens (NYSE:CIA) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Citizens Trading Up 1.4 %

CIA stock traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $2.10. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 67,414 shares, compared to its average volume of 52,312. The company has a market cap of $104.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.19. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $2.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $2.76. Citizens has a 12 month low of $1.64 and a 12 month high of $3.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens

In other news, CEO Gerald Shields acquired 16,000 shares of Citizens stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $2.22 per share, with a total value of $35,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 168,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $374,567.28. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders bought 24,000 shares of company stock valued at $52,287. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Citizens in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Citizens during the third quarter valued at approximately $96,000. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Citizens by 10.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 46,416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 4,304 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Citizens during the third quarter valued at approximately $249,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.73% of the company’s stock.

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.