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

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZWI) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 142,164 shares, an increase of 33.7% from the February 26th total of 106,342 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 62,204 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Citizens Community Bancorp Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CZWI traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $19.28. 25,310 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 61,716. The firm has a market cap of $185.65 million, a PE ratio of 13.21 and a beta of 0.66. Citizens Community Bancorp has a fifty-two week low of $12.69 and a fifty-two week high of $19.84. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.43.

Citizens Community Bancorp (NASDAQ:CZWI) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $15.76 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.30 million. Citizens Community Bancorp had a net margin of 14.60% and a return on equity of 7.81%. As a group, analysts forecast that Citizens Community Bancorp will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Citizens Community Bancorp Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a dividend of $0.105 per share. This represents a $0.42 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. Citizens Community Bancorp’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Citizens Community Bancorp

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Citizens Community Bancorp by 611.1% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,048 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 1,760 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey bought a new position in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 858.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,000 shares of the bank’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 2,687 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp by 5,348.0% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,086 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 4,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Citizens Community Bancorp in the second quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 55.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CZWI shares. Zacks Research lowered Citizens Community Bancorp from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Citizens Community Bancorp from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Citizens Community Bancorp presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Citizens Community Bancorp

Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbia Station, Ohio. Its primary subsidiary, Citizens Community Savings Bank, offers a range of community banking services to individuals and businesses. The company operates through a network of branch offices in Lorain and Medina counties and surrounding communities, providing personalized financial solutions with a focus on local relationships and customer service.

The bank’s deposit products include checking and savings accounts, money market accounts and certificates of deposit, while its lending portfolio features residential mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, and small-business financing.