Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Major Shareholder Acquires $1,596,480.00 in Stock

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 96,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $16.63 per share, with a total value of $1,596,480.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,883,610 shares in the company, valued at $31,324,434.30. This trade represents a 5.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Prescott Group Capital Managem also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 10th, Prescott Group Capital Managem acquired 40,876 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock. The stock was bought at an average price of $15.84 per share, with a total value of $647,475.84.
• On Thursday, August 6th, Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 4,513 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $16.57 per share, with a total value of $74,780.41.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Down 3.0%

Nature’s Sunshine Products stock opened at $15.51 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.32. The stock has a market cap of $272.98 million, a P/E ratio of 15.36 and a beta of 0.88. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.97 and a 12-month high of $28.14.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $116.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $123.70 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a net margin of 3.68% and a return on equity of 12.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on NATR. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nature’s Sunshine Products

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NATR. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $174,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 317,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,700,000 after purchasing an additional 27,300 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 16.1% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 228,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,382,000 after purchasing an additional 31,696 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.7% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 21,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 91.9% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 23,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 11,389 shares during the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.