Insider Buying: Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Major Shareholder Buys $647,475.84 in Stock

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 40,876 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.84 per share, for a total transaction of $647,475.84. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 1,924,486 shares in the company, valued at $30,483,858.24. This represents a 2.17% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, August 7th, Prescott Group Capital Managem acquired 96,000 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.63 per share, with a total value of $1,596,480.00.
• On Thursday, August 6th, Prescott Group Capital Managem acquired 4,513 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $16.57 per share, for a total transaction of $74,780.41.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

Shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock traded down $0.61 on Monday, hitting $15.77. 426,791 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 139,474. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 52 week low of $12.97 and a 52 week high of $28.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $277.55 million, a P/E ratio of 15.61 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Institutional Trading of Nature’s Sunshine Products

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NATR. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 44,803 shares of the company’s stock valued at $967,000 after acquiring an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.4% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 54,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd increased its stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 7.7% during the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,340 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 1,092 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,075,000 after purchasing an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.