Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. Acquires 161,389 Shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. grew its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,944,486 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 161,389 shares during the period. Nature’s Sunshine Products accounts for about 2.2% of Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. owned approximately 0.11% of Nature’s Sunshine Products worth $24,676,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter valued at $30,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 415.5% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,444 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $249,000. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ NATR opened at $12.07 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $12.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.41. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.92 and a 1-year high of $28.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.43 million, a P/E ratio of 10.27 and a beta of 0.80.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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%.

Insider Transactions at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In other news, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 96,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.63 per share, for a total transaction of $1,596,480.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 1,883,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,324,434.30. The trade was a 5.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders purchased a total of 161,389 shares of company stock valued at $2,612,536 in the last 90 days. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NATR shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on Nature’s Sunshine Products from $36.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target on Nature’s Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $25.00.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Profile

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc develops and sells natural health and wellness products through direct selling, e-commerce and other distribution channels. Its product portfolio includes dietary supplements, herbal supplements, vitamins, minerals, essential oils, sports nutrition products and personal-care items.

The company markets products primarily under the Nature’s Sunshine and Synergy WorldWide brands. Nature’s Sunshine focuses on nutritional and herbal wellness products, while Synergy offers supplements and performance-oriented nutrition products.