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Companies CITIZENS, INC.

CITIZENS (CIA): executive pay, fiscal 2025

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CEO total pay$1,487,735CEO Jon Stenberg · source
Say-on-pay support99.05%Latest vote · source
CEO vs. named peers6th pct.Of 16 peer CEOs
CEO pay ratio24:1To the median employee · source

CEO pay, last three years

  • $1,435,264FY2024
  • $1,487,735FY2025

CEO total pay was $1,487,735 in fiscal 2025, up from $1,435,264 in fiscal 2024.

FY2025: salary $500,000 · bonus $0 · stock awards $450,000 · option awards $0

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Executives and directors

Full detail

Every table from the filing. Open any section.

Summary compensation table
Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
Jon Stenberg$500,000$0$450,000$0$460,000$0$77,735$1,487,735
Chief Executive Officer and President
Jeffery Conklin442,9000200,0000195,500011,273849,673
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer
Sheryl Kinlaw360,5000175,0000172,500013,200721,200
Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
Jon Stenberg$1,487,735$1,435,264—↑ +52,471
Jeffery Conklin849,673896,281644,465↓ −46,608
Sheryl Kinlaw721,200788,108556,606↓ −66,908

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

Align executive short-term and long-term bonus opportunities with Company performance and set quantifiable performance objectives that incentivize executives to drive revenue and improve profitability.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantMeridian
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
Equity grants and outstanding awards

No plan-based awards are on file for this fiscal year.

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
Sheryl KinlawRSU8,536—$41,229
Jeffery ConklinRSU9,668—46,696
Sheryl KinlawPSU11,538—55,729
Jeffery ConklinPSU13,187—63,693
Sheryl KinlawRSU15,384—74,305
Jeffery ConklinRSU17,582—84,921
Sheryl KinlawPSU24,533—118,494
Jeffery ConklinPSU28,037—135,419
Jon StenbergPSU29,670—143,306
Jon StenbergRSU39,560—191,075
Jon StenbergRSU40,619—196,190
Jon StenbergPSU45,696—220,712
Jeffery ConklinRSU49,901—241,022
Sheryl KinlawRSU52,153—251,899
Jon StenbergRSU90,498—437,105
Director compensation
DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Cynthia H. DavisIndependent · Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chair) · Compensation$115,000$40,000———$155,000
Jerry D. Davis JrIndependent · Compensation · Investment115,00040,000———155,000
Dr. Terry S. ManessIndependent · Audit115,00040,000———155,000
Christopher W. ClausIndependent · Investment · Compensation (Chair)115,00040,000———155,000
J. Keith MorganIndependent · Investment · Nominating and Corporate Governance105,00040,000———145,000
Mary TaylorIndependent · Audit · Nominating and Corporate Governance · Compensation105,00040,000———145,000
Peter M. CarlsonIndependent · Audit · Compensation56,87540,000———96,875
Gerald W. ShieldsIndependent33,5420———33,542
Michael HarwoodIndependent16,1880———16,188
Jon StenbergEmployee director—————0

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$105,000
Annual equity retainer$40,000
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)—
Stock ownership guidelineWe implemented Stock Ownership Guidelines for our directors, CEO and other Section 16 officers.

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$776,605
Equity awards (grant-date value)$280,000
All other compensation$0
Total cost of the board$1,056,605

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

Peer group, and who names CITIZENS as a peer

Companies that benchmark against CIA

No companies currently name CIA as a compensation peer in their most recent disclosure.

This is the complete answer, not a partial one — the list is never padded.

Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025

The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.

Peer reciprocity

Of the companies CITIZENS, INC. names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.

Reciprocity shown where the peer’s own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer’s filing. A dash means the peer’s current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including CITIZENS, INC..

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1Palomar Holdings, Inc.2025Mac Armstrong$1,243,269$3,862,330$0$3,843,298$8,961,148
2HCI Group, Inc.2025Paresh Patel950,0000008,236,000
3Stewart Information Services Corporation2025Frederick Eppinger1,100,0004,399,91002,206,1747,865,929
4Medallion Financial Corp.2025Andrew Murstein1,084,1642,400,00002,141,5775,716,187
5Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.2025Charles Bradley995,00001,139,7903,283,5005,439,647
6Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc.2025Ernie Garateix875,5002,757,82401,663,4505,341,897
7Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.2025Stephen Donaghy1,000,0001,750,01402,406,8445,240,829
8PRA Group, Inc.2025Martin Sjolund746,8293,312,3930827,7814,938,095
9Regional Management Corp.2025Robert Beck680,0002,999,99501,021,0204,824,409
10Safety Insurance Group, Inc.2025George Murphy850,0001,100,00001,476,8804,187,838
11Global Indemnity Group, LLC2025Joseph Brown1,000,000—494,50004,001,790
12World Acceptance Corporation2026J. Tobin Turner364,6622,564,635002,961,396
13American Coastal Insurance Corporation2025B. Bradford Martz681,042787,500262,500945,0002,811,555
14AMERISAFE, Inc.2025G. Janelle Frost803,146896,5000622,0902,369,553
15Atlantic American Corporation2025Hilton Howell Jr.600,0000001,615,566
16CITIZENS, INC.2025Jon Stenberg500,000450,0000460,0001,487,735
17NI Holdings, Inc.2025Cindy Launer167,614187,4930240,000712,516

Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

Incentive design against the same peers

CompanyAnnual incentive payoutLong-term vehicle mixPSU measures include TSRCompensation consultant
CITIZENS, INC.not disclosedPSU 60 · RSU 40not disclosedMeridian
American Coastal Insurance Corporationnot disclosednot disclosedNoPay Governance LLC
AMERISAFE, Inc.95%PSU 70 · RSU 30NoAON
Atlantic American Corporationnot disclosednot disclosednot disclosednot disclosed
Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.not disclosedOption 100not disclosednot disclosed
Global Indemnity Group, LLCnot disclosednot disclosedNonot disclosed
HCI Group, Inc.not disclosedRSU 100not disclosednot disclosed
Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc.158%PSU 62 · RSU 38Nonot disclosed
Medallion Financial Corp.not disclosedRSU 50 · PSU 50NoMeridian Compensation Partners, LLC
NI Holdings, Inc.not disclosedRSU 100not disclosedMeridian
Palomar Holdings, Inc.176%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoPay Governance
PRA Group, Inc.not disclosedPSU 50 · RSU 50Yes — Relative TSRPearl Meyer
Regional Management Corp.100.1%PSU 50 · RSU 50Yes — relative TSRFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. (FW Cook)
Safety Insurance Group, Inc.139%PRSU 55 · RSU 45NoPay Governance
Stewart Information Services Corporation114.6%PSU 50 · RSU 50NoMercer (US) LLC
Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.160.5%PSU 50 · RSU 50Nonot disclosed
World Acceptance Corporationnot disclosednot disclosedNonot disclosed

Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.

Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
Meeting yearMeeting dateForAgainstAbstainSupportOutcome
20262026-06-168,766,66583,84137,32799.05%Passed
20252025-06-172,796,164465,160216,59985.74%Passed
20242024-06-184,983,332514,84339,36390.64%Passed
20222022-06-077,249,687149,62034,37997.98%Passed
20212021-06-015,399,1421,667,28336,45976.41%Passed
20202020-06-023,043,0363,755,408697,75244.76%Failed

Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.

Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation

Meeting yearMeeting dateApproval — company’s computation
20262026-06-1699.05%a
20252025-06-1785.74%b
20242024-06-1890.64%c

a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.

c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation -- Majority of Votes Cast | Abstentions: For these votes, abstentions and broker non-votes will be disregarded and will have no impact on the vote.”.

Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)24 : 1
CEO total compensation—
Median employee compensation$60,036
Insider trades since the proxy

No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.

Sources (48 citations)

Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

  • Section 01, Jon Stenberg. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Compensation Tables” · page 38. As printed: 1,487,735. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Jeffery Conklin. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Compensation Tables” · page 38. As printed: 849,673. View filing ↗
  • Section 01, Sheryl Kinlaw. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Compensation Tables” · page 38. As printed: 721,200. View filing ↗
  • Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2022-04-25. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 24 : 1. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Cynthia H. Davis. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 155,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Jerry D. Davis Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 155,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Dr. Terry S. Maness. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 155,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Christopher W. Claus. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 155,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, J. Keith Morgan. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 145,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Mary Taylor. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 145,000. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Peter M. Carlson. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 96,875. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Gerald W. Shields. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 33,542. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Michael Harwood. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 16,188. View filing ↗
  • Section 08, Jon Stenberg. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-18. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 99.05% (votes for as printed: 8,766,665). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-06-20. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 85.74% (votes for as printed: 2,796,164 80%). View filing ↗
  • Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-06-20. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 90.64% (votes for as printed: 4,983,332). View filing ↗
  • Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
  • Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 776,605 + equity 280,000 + all other 0 = 1,056,605, summed across the director compensation table rows.
  • Palomar Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-10. CEO total compensation as printed in Palomar Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,961,148. View filing ↗
  • HCI Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in HCI Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 8,236,000. View filing ↗
  • Stewart Information Services Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-25. CEO total compensation as printed in Stewart Information Services Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 7,865,929. View filing ↗
  • Medallion Financial Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Medallion Financial Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,716,187. View filing ↗
  • Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-09-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,439,647. View filing ↗
  • Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,341,897. View filing ↗
  • Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,240,829. View filing ↗
  • PRA Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in PRA Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,938,095. View filing ↗
  • Regional Management Corp., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-09. CEO total compensation as printed in Regional Management Corp.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,824,409. View filing ↗
  • Safety Insurance Group, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-31. CEO total compensation as printed in Safety Insurance Group, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,187,838. View filing ↗
  • Global Indemnity Group, LLC, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-29. CEO total compensation as printed in Global Indemnity Group, LLC's own proxy. As printed: 4,001,790. View filing ↗
  • World Acceptance Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-07-22. CEO total compensation as printed in World Acceptance Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 2,961,396. View filing ↗
  • American Coastal Insurance Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-01. CEO total compensation as printed in American Coastal Insurance Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 2,811,555. View filing ↗
  • AMERISAFE, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-24. CEO total compensation as printed in AMERISAFE, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,369,553. View filing ↗
  • Atlantic American Corporation, Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-10-23. CEO total compensation as printed in Atlantic American Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 1,615,566. View filing ↗
  • CITIZENS, INC. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-30. CEO total compensation as printed in CITIZENS, INC.'s own proxy. As printed: 1,487,735. View filing ↗
  • NI Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-08. CEO total compensation as printed in NI Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 712,516. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, AMERISAFE, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. AMERISAFE, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Global Indemnity Group, LLC reciprocity. DEF 14A. Global Indemnity Group, LLC's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, PRA Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. PRA Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Heritage Insurance Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, NI Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. NI Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, American Coastal Insurance Corporation reciprocity. DEF 14A. American Coastal Insurance Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, HCI Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. HCI Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Stewart Information Services Corporation reciprocity. DEF 14A. Stewart Information Services Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Regional Management Corp. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Regional Management Corp.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Safety Insurance Group, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Safety Insurance Group, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Medallion Financial Corp. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Medallion Financial Corp.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
  • Section 10a, Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc. reciprocity. DEF 14A. Universal Insurance Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include CITIZENS, INC.. View filing ↗
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