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Buy Day today: Neutral (53) Mixed market breadth · no major macro event

Citizens Inc (CIA)

Financial Services Insurance - Life
4.70 $
-2.7% vs. previous close
Closing price · As of: 31. Jul 2026
🔔 Watch stock

symbol.quality_heading

Open questions

The business works in principle, but one material question is open. As long as it stays open, our findings do not carry a quality verdict.

Whoever buys today is betting that dozens of governments keep standing still and that the new whole life and final expense business outruns the endowment wave before the old renewal premiums run out — and pays price-to-book of 1.3 for it after a 70 percent rally. Whoever waits will see in the coming quarterly reports whether first year premiums keep growing double-digit and the international segment stabilizes its pre-tax income — at this trading volume, you rarely miss much at once. The decision is yours.

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Read the Full Deep Dive
Citizens Stock: Life Insurance Sold in Over 80 Countries — Licensed in Not a Single One of Them

The ticker sounds like an intelligence agency, the stock like a hidden gem: Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) registers just 2 mentions in 24 hours in our Reddit hype scanner (as of July 15, 2026) — and still gained about 70 percent over twelve months (data as of July 10, 2026). The Austin, Texas life insurer sells dollar policies to customers from Colombia to Taiwan. We read the annual reports (10-K) for 2024 and 2025 and the quarterly report (10-Q) as of March 31, 2026: not a cent of debt, two straight years of premium growth — but the company is not licensed as an insurer in a single one of its foreign markets, the highest wave of maturing endowment policies in its history is rolling through the books, and it has never paid a dividend in its entire life as a public company. Not investment advice — just the complete file on a stock that looks like a secret and reads like a disclosure.

Read the analysis

Stock Watch

This analysis is as of July 16, 2026. Stock Watch will tell you what's changed at CIA since then.

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Appears in These Scanners

This stock currently matches 4 of our scanner strategies — each hit links to the scanner.

Only genuine hits from verified scanners count; pure ranking metrics (P/E, P/S, and similar, which just sort the whole universe) don't count as a hit. View all scanners

Trading Day

Previous Close
4.90$
Open
4.90$
Day High
5.00$
Day Low
4.70$
Volume
116,722shares

Key levels of the most recently completed trading day — not a live quote.

52-Week Range

52-Week Low 52-Week High
3.80 $ 6.40 $
07/31/2025 06/26/2026

Current price 4.70 $ — 35% of the range above the low.

Lowest and highest closing price over the last 52 weeks. The marker shows where the current price sits within that range: close to the high speaks for strength, close to the low for weakness.

Basics

Market Cap
0.2$B
Shares Outstanding
51Mio.
Float
89.2%
Beta
0.5

Performance

Perf. 1M
18.60%
Perf. 3M
34.90%
Perf. 6M
21.40%
YTD Performance (%)
21.90%
52-Week-High Distance
-7.0%
Perf. 1Y
23.82%
Perf. 3Y
84.05%
Perf. 5Y
-11.75%
Perf. 10Y
-43.35%
Perf. Since Inception
13.03%

Technical Indicators

MA 38 Days
5.50$
MA 50 Days
5.40$
MA 200 Days
5.40$
RSI (14)
31.6
Volatility 30 Days
44.2%
Volatility 250 Days
52.2%

Calculated from the price history · as of 08/03/2026

Valuation

P/E
14.4
Forward P/E
19.8
PEG
1.2
P/B
1.0
P/S
0.9
EV/EBITDA
0.0
Price/FCF
14.7

Profitability

Gross Margin
29.0%
EBIT Margin
Net Margin
7.1%
Return on Equity
8.1%
Return on Assets
0.8%

Balance Sheet & Safety

Equity Ratio
Debt/Equity
Altman Z″
3.76
Piotroski
5 out of 9

Growth

Sales Growth Last Quarter
7.30%
EPS Growth Last Quarter
99.50%
Sales Growth (Year)
4.33%
Forward Sales Growth
4.74%
Forward EPS Growth
20.00%

Dividend

This stock currently pays no dividend.

Quality & Screener

Stage
3
RS Rating
67
EPS Rating
85
Piotroski
5 out of 9
Fundamental Rating
C (48 out of 100)
Altman Z″
3.76

AI Rating

Neutral

Geprüft am 16.07.2026 gegen die Geschäftsberichte (10-K) 2025 (eingereicht 12.03.2026) und 2024 (13.03.2025) sowie die vier jüngsten Quartalsberichte (10-Q, zuletzt zum 31.03.2026): In den ausgewerteten SEC-Filings von Citizens, Inc. findet sich kein wesentlicher firmenindividueller KI-Bezug. Beide 10-K erwähnen generative KI ausschließlich als Branchenkontext — der 10-K 2025 unter „Technology, Innovation and Digitization“ (Versicherer investierten branchenweit in digitale Vertriebswege, automatisiertes Underwriting, Analytik und generative KI), der 10-K 2024 unter „Technology Adoption“ (die KI-Entwicklung „fordere die Branche heraus“, man müsse den Wandel annehmen). Weder wird KI als Umsatzquelle beschrieben (die Produkte sind klassische Lebens-, Endowment- und Final-Expense-Policen) noch ein konkreter eigener operativer KI-Einsatz dokumentiert (das erwähnte datengestützte Underwriting bei CLOA nutzt „zusätzliche Medizin- und Labordaten Dritter“, ohne KI-Bezug), noch ein konkretes KI-Geschäftsrisiko fürs eigene Modell benannt — Branchen-Boilerplate ist nach dem Kriterienkatalog kein Bedroht-Beleg. Die vier 10-Q enthalten keinerlei KI-Erwähnungen. Negativ-Befund dokumentiert, daher „neutral“.

View the full file — quotes, sources, reviewed filings
„Insurers are investing in digital distribution capabilities, automated underwriting, advanced analytics, and generative artificial intelligence to improve customer experience, enhance agent productivity, and streamline operations."

Versicherer investieren in digitale Vertriebsfähigkeiten, automatisiertes Underwriting, fortgeschrittene Analytik und generative Künstliche Intelligenz, um das Kundenerlebnis zu verbessern, die Produktivität der Vermittler zu steigern und Abläufe zu verschlanken.

10-K · 2026-03-12 · View SEC filing
„Innovation and digital development strategies, including the use of generative AI, continue to evolve and impact all industries, including the insurance industry."

Innovations- und Digitalisierungsstrategien, einschließlich des Einsatzes generativer KI, entwickeln sich weiter und wirken sich auf alle Branchen aus, auch auf die Versicherungsbranche.

10-K · 2025-03-13 · View SEC filing

Filings Reviewed: 10-Q 2026-05-07 · 10-Q 2025-11-06 · 10-Q 2025-08-07 · 10-Q 2025-05-08 · 10-K 2026-03-12 · 10-K 2025-03-13

Rated on July 16, 2026 · How the Rating Is Built

Analysts & Price Target

Current Price 4.70 $
Price Target (average) 6.00 $

The price target sits 27.7% above the current price.

Combined picture of the price targets and recommendations of every analyst covering the stock. Price targets are expectations for the next 12 months, not promises — and they often follow the price rather than predict it.

Next Reporting Date

6. Aug 2026 · after the close · Q2 2026
Expected Earnings per Share
0.07 $

Expected date of the next quarterly or annual figures. Dates do shift occasionally — only the invitation issued by the company is binding.

Revenue & Profit

Cash Flow

Balance Sheet

Margins

Per Share

Click the chart or tab into it, then use ← and → to step through the periods.

None of the selected stocks reports this metric. Pick another metric or switch between annual and quarterly.

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The figures could not be loaded right now.

Sales Per Quarter ($M)
2024: Q4 · 63.5 $M Q4 2025: Q1 · 55.7 $M Q1 2025: Q2 · 65.1 $M Q2 2025: Q3 · 62.8 $M Q3 2025: Q4 · 72.1 $M Q4 2026: Q1 · 58.2 $M Q1

Source: fundamental data

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Quarterly Figures

Quarterly Figures
Quarter EPS (Earnings Per Share) EPS YoY (%) Sales ($M) Sales YoY (%) Net Margin (%) OCF ($M) FCF ($M)
2024: Q4 0.07 -66.30 64 -5.00 5.70 11 11
2025: Q1 -0.03 -135.70 56 -3.60 -2.90 1 1
2025: Q2 0.13 63.10 65 4.80 9.90 4 3
2025: Q3 0.05 -13.40 63 1.70 3.80 5 5
2025: Q4 0.15 102.70 72 13.50 10.20 9 9
2026: Q1 0.04 58 4.60 3.90 0 -1
What Do These Terms Mean?
EPS (Earnings Per Share):
Quarterly profit divided by the total share count — how much of the profit works out to a single share.
YoY (Year over Year):
Change versus the same quarter a year ago — this is how you compare without seasonal distortion (e.g. the holiday shopping season).
Sales:
All revenue for the quarter, before any costs are deducted — the top line of the income statement.
Net Margin:
What percentage of sales is left over as profit in the end. Negative means the company is posting a loss.
OCF (Operating Cash Flow):
The cash that actually flows into the till from the core business during the quarter — harder to dress up than book profit.
FCF (Free Cash Flow):
Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures — the money that's genuinely free to use, say for paying down debt, buybacks, or dividends.

Assessment: Opportunities & Risks

Business model & niche

U.S. dollar life insurance for the emerging-market middle class as protection against devaluation and inflation — established since 1975, policies in over 80 countries, plus a growing final expense business in 43 U.S. states. First year premiums up 71 percent (2024) and 16 percent (2025) to $38.3 million; 2025 brought the second-highest amount of new insurance written in company history (annual report 10-K for 2025).

Regulatory foundation

The company is not licensed as an insurer in any of its foreign markets and has never submitted its international policies to a regulator for approval ("non-admitted", 10-K 2025, Item 1); 64 percent of direct premiums hang on this gray zone. The report itself warns of fines, criminal penalties and market exclusions — plus Venezuela as a top market and a high-risk money laundering jurisdiction per the U.S. Treasury.

Endowment wave & earnings quality

Maturity payouts rose to $76.8 million in 2025 (a company record; 2024: $53.6 million; 2023: $41.9 million) and squeeze renewal premiums; the international segment's pre-tax income fell from $23.5 million to $14.4 million. Consolidated net income of $14.6 million sits a third below its 2023 level ($24.4 million) even though revenue grew.

Balance sheet & capital

No debt, $1.4 billion of investments (89 percent bonds, yielding 4.67 percent), an Altman Z-score around 3.8, FHLB access as a liquidity reserve; Q1 2026 back in the black at $2.3 million. On the other side: $88.4 million of negative valuation reserve inside equity and a domestic subsidiary (CLOA) barred from distributions in 2026 without special approval (12/31/2025 and data as of July 10, 2026).

Valuation & tradability

A P/E around 18 and price-to-book around 1.3 are no longer a bargain for a niche insurer standing on a gray-zone foundation — after a roughly 70 percent gain in twelve months, part of the rediscovery is already paid for; adjusted for valuation losses (book value $6.43 per share) it is roughly substance price. Also: no dividend, ever; trading volume around $0.5 million a day; 2 trend hits in our in-house stock scanner (data as of July 10, 2026).

Bottom Line

Citizens is a genuine curiosity with substance: a debt-free niche machine, 55 years old, selling dollar policies into countries where it has never applied for a license — disclosed, profitable, growing again. Against that stand the contractually fixed endowment payout wave ($76.8 million in 2025, a company record), a profit a third below its 2023 level, political risk from Caracas to Washington, not one dividend in the company's entire history and wafer-thin trading. After a roughly 70 percent price gain in twelve months, this is no longer an undiscovered bargain but a paid-up bet on the durability of a gray zone. Not investment advice.

Worth Noting:
  • CIA reached our research list via the Reddit hype scanner (ApeWisdom, 2 mentions in 24 hours, as of July 15, 2026) — deliberately framed here as an anti-hype finding: despite a 70 percent twelve-month gain, the stock is practically unwatched. The 1 hit in our in-house stock scanner carries the July 10, 2026 data cut-off and rotates daily.
  • Scanner metrics (P/E, P/B, relative strength, Piotroski, Altman Z) are computed from trailing twelve-month figures; the Q1 2026 return to profit and the further course of the endowment wave show up in them only with a lag.
  • Price and valuation figures are dated to July 10, 2026 (about $6, market value roughly $0.3 billion); analyses are evergreen, daily prices are not a buy argument — and at roughly $0.5 million of daily volume, your own order is itself a price factor.

About the Company

Citizens, Inc. ist ein diversifiziertes Finanzdienstleistungsunternehmen, das Lebens-, Living-Benefits- und Sterbegeldversicherungen sowie andere Finanzprodukte für Privatpersonen und Kleinunternehmen in den USA anbietet.

Employees243
HeadquartersAustin, TX
Websitecitizensinc.com
IPO Date5. Dec 1988

Management

Management
Name Title Birth Year
Jon Scott Stenberg President CEO & Director 1966
Jeffery Paul Conklin CFO, Chief Investment Officer & Treasurer 1970
Sheryl L. Kinlaw J.D. Chief Legal Officer & Secretary 1969
Bryon Matthew Lewis Chief Operating Officer 1974
Paula Guerrero Chief Information Officer 1965
David Scott Jorgensen CPA General Manager for International Operations of CICA Life Insurance Company of America 1964
Seth Alan Hoxworth Chief Actuary 1986

Executives per the latest required filings; titles kept in their original language. Source: fundamental data.

Insider Transactions

Insider Transactions
Date Person Role Type Shares Price Value
14. Jul 2026 Lewis Bryon Matthew Chief Operations Officer Other 10,697 0.00

Reportable transactions by officers and major shareholders from SEC Form 4 filings. "Other" includes things like stock grants and option exercises without a buy/sell character.

View all insider transactions →

Chart

Interactive price chart (TradingView).

Data as of: July 31, 2026 · Source: fundamental data & SEC filings (annual and quarterly reports, 10-K/10-Q)

Note: pure fact-based analysis, not investment advice and not a solicitation to buy or sell. All figures without guarantee.

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