Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR Shares Acquired by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 37.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 589,636 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 160,002 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned 3.34% of Nature’s Sunshine Products worth $8,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NATR. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.7% in 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 last quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 473,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,933,000 after purchasing an additional 7,281 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 351.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 12,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 9,650 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Williams & Novak LLC bought a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the second quarter worth about $155,000. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NATR has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson lifted their price target on Nature’s Sunshine Products from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $22.50.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ NATR opened at $21.17 on Friday. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.01 and a 12-month high of $21.64. The company has a market cap of $370.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $16.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.01.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $88.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.39 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 3.18%.

Insider Activity at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In related news, CAO Jonathan David Lanoy sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.45, for a total value of $102,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $945,464.85. This represents a 9.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 8,884 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.46, for a total transaction of $181,766.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 66,636 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,363,372.56. The trade was a 11.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 17,684 shares of company stock worth $363,095 over the last ninety days. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc, a natural health and wellness company, manufactures and sells nutritional and personal care products in Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and internationally. It offers general health products related to blood sugar support, bone health, cellular health, cognitive function, joint health, mood, sexual health, sleep, sports and energy, and vision.