Citizens (NYSE:CIA) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Citizens (NYSE:CIA) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Wednesday morning.

Citizens Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of Citizens stock opened at $2.10 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $2.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2.76. The company has a market cap of $104.10 million, a P/E ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.19. Citizens has a 12-month low of $1.64 and a 12-month high of $3.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Citizens

In related news, CEO Gerald Shields acquired 16,000 shares of Citizens stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $2.22 per share, with a total value of $35,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 168,724 shares in the company, valued at $374,567.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 24,000 shares of company stock valued at $52,287. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Citizens

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the 3rd quarter valued at $66,000. Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the 3rd quarter valued at $96,000. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Citizens by 10.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the 3rd quarter valued at $249,000. Institutional investors 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.