Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Upgraded by DA Davidson to “Strong-Buy” Rating

DA Davidson upgraded shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

Shares of NATR traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $21.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,120. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $22.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.75. Nature’s Sunshine Products has a 1-year low of $12.97 and a 1-year high of $28.14. The company has a market capitalization of $381.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In related news, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.64, for a total value of $200,476.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,276 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $975,776.64. The trade was a 17.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total value of $238,163.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 77,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. The trade was a 13.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407 in the last three months. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nature’s Sunshine Products

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NATR. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 1st quarter worth approximately $174,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 317,731 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,700,000 after purchasing an additional 27,300 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 228,698 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,382,000 after purchasing an additional 31,696 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 21,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 1,875 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 91.9% during the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 23,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after buying an additional 11,389 shares during the period. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Company Profile

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.