Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Citizens (NYSE:CIA – Get Rating) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Separately, TheStreet cut Citizens from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research note on Friday, March 31st.

Citizens Stock Performance

Shares of CIA opened at $1.74 on Friday. Citizens has a 52-week low of $1.64 and a 52-week high of $4.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $2.52 and a 200 day moving average of $2.60.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Monday, March 13th. The insurance provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $66.96 million during the quarter. Citizens had a negative net margin of 0.19% and a negative return on equity of 0.80%.

Insider Transactions at Citizens

In related news, CFO Jeffery P. Conklin bought 14,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1.93 per share, with a total value of $27,020.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer now owns 115,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $223,459.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Citizens news, insider Michelle Cormier 4,950 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 30th. Also, CFO Jeffery P. Conklin purchased 14,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1.93 per share, for a total transaction of $27,020.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 115,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $223,459.26. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Citizens

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CIA. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Citizens by 791.9% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 788,830 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after acquiring an additional 700,387 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP bought a new stake in Citizens during the third quarter valued at about $401,000. UBS Group AG grew its stake in Citizens by 89.8% in the first quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 210,749 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 99,706 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Citizens by 32.1% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 301,294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,262,000 after purchasing an additional 73,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Citizens during the first quarter valued at about $256,000. 16.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Citizens

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Citizens, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of insurance and reinsurance services. It operates through the Life Insurance and Home Service Insurance segments. The Life Insurance segment primarily issues ordinary whole life insurance and endowment policies in U.S. dollar-denominated amounts to foreign residents.