StockNews.com Downgrades Citizens (NYSE:CIA) to Sell

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Citizens Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of CIA traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $4.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 94,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 88,343. The company's 50-day moving average is $4.95 and its 200-day moving average is $4.52. Citizens has a 52-week low of $1.78 and a 52-week high of $5.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.87 and a beta of 0.11.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 13th. The insurance provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $63.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.66 million. Citizens had a net margin of 8.87% and a return on equity of 11.50%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Citizens will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Citizens

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Truffle Hound Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Citizens during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,511,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Citizens in the fourth quarter worth $357,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Citizens during the fourth quarter worth $319,000. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Citizens by 7,178.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 78,026 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 76,954 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens in the 4th quarter worth $304,000. 13.73% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.