Short Interest in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) Expands By 70.4%

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totaling 583,679 shares, an increase of 70.4% from the May 31st total of 342,571 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 148,550 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on NATR shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 target price on Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.00.

Insider Activity at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In other news, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total transaction of $238,163.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,541,175.40. The trade was a 13.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total transaction of $41,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 48,866 shares in the company, valued at $1,010,548.88. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407 in the last quarter. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 2.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 913,791 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,181,000 after purchasing an additional 20,037 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 15.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 803,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,464,000 after acquiring an additional 106,688 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 14.6% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 675,764 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,488,000 after buying an additional 86,128 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 531,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,761,000 after acquiring an additional 7,827 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 360,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Down 2.1%

Nature’s Sunshine Products stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $21.50. 66,177 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 123,758. The stock has a market cap of $378.08 million, a P/E ratio of 19.50 and a beta of 0.86. Nature’s Sunshine Products has a 1-year low of $12.97 and a 1-year high of $28.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.77.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $122.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $122.15 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 4.06%.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc is a global manufacturer and direct seller of nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, and personal care products. The company’s core business centers on research, development and distribution of vitamins, minerals, botanicals and essential oil-based formulations designed to support overall health and wellness. Operating under a network-marketing model, Nature’s Sunshine works through a network of independent distributors who promote and sell its product line directly to consumers.

The company’s product portfolio spans dietary supplements such as single-ingredient vitamins, proprietary herbal blends, sports nutrition formulas and weight-management solutions, along with skin and hair care items based on botanical extracts and essential oils.