Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 30,200 shares, a growth of 127.1% from the December 31st total of 13,300 shares. Approximately 0.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 23,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Citizens Community Bancorp Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ CZWI traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $15.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 34,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,041. Citizens Community Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $10.14 and a fifty-two week high of $17.04. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

Citizens Community Bancorp (NASDAQ:CZWI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The bank reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27. Citizens Community Bancorp had a return on equity of 8.64% and a net margin of 14.70%. Equities research analysts predict that Citizens Community Bancorp will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Community Bancorp Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a yield of 2%. This is a positive change from Citizens Community Bancorp’s previous annual dividend of $0.32. Citizens Community Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is 22.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Citizens Community Bancorp from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Citizens Community Bancorp

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Citizens Community Bancorp by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 59,332 shares of the bank’s stock worth $967,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in Citizens Community Bancorp in the fourth quarter valued at about $240,000. Barclays PLC bought a new stake in Citizens Community Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Citizens Community Bancorp by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 104,125 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,476,000 after purchasing an additional 1,732 shares during the period. Finally, Fourthstone LLC acquired a new stake in Citizens Community Bancorp during the third quarter worth about $1,520,000. Institutional investors own 55.11% of the company’s stock.

About Citizens Community Bancorp

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Citizens Community Federal N.A. that provides various traditional community banking services to businesses, agricultural operators, and consumers. It accepts various deposit products, including demand deposits, savings and money market accounts, and certificates of deposit.