Zacks Research Upgrades Citizens (NYSE:CIA) to Hold

Posted by Francis Steltz on Nov 7th, 2026

Citizens (NYSE:CIA – Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Freedom Broker assumed coverage on Citizens in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $5.50 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Citizens from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen raised Citizens from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on Citizens in a research note on Monday, August 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Citizens has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.50.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Citizens

Citizens Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CIA opened at $4.12 on Thursday. Citizens has a fifty-two week low of $3.31 and a fifty-two week high of $6.54. The company has a market capitalization of $230.54 million, a P/E ratio of 25.75 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $3.65 and its 200 day moving average is $4.83.

Citizens (NYSE:CIA – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The insurance provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.06). Citizens had a net margin of 4.55% and a return on equity of 4.73%. The company had revenue of $61.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $63.85 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Citizens will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Citizens news, CEO Jon Stenberg purchased 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $3.65 per share, with a total value of $43,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 389,574 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,945.10. The trade was a 3.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael Philip Harwood bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $3.80 per share, for a total transaction of $38,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,096 shares in the company, valued at $42,164.80. This trade represents a 912.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 27,376 shares of company stock worth $102,390. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CIA. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Citizens during the third quarter worth $75,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in Citizens by 25.0% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 66,456 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 13,300 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Citizens by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 42,405 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 5,746 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Citizens by 8.3% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 238,487 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 18,244 shares in the last quarter. 13.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Citizens Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Citizens, Inc (NYSE: CIA) is an insurance holding company focused primarily on life insurance products. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides coverage designed to address final expenses, mortgage protection, income replacement and other long-term financial needs.

Its product offerings have included whole life, term life, universal life and other life insurance policies, as well as related insurance solutions. Citizens serves policyholders in the United States and selected international markets, including countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The company is based in Austin, Texas, and has historically operated through insurance subsidiaries serving domestic and international customers.