Insider Selling: Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) EVP Sells 11,968 Shares of Stock

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) EVP Bryant Yates sold 11,968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. This represents a 13.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NATR stock traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $20.40. The stock had a trading volume of 148,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 135,242. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.97 and a 12-month high of $28.14. The company has a market cap of $358.63 million, a P/E ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.81.

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

Institutional Trading of Nature’s Sunshine Products

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NATR. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 4th quarter worth about $4,544,000. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,923,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 268.9% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 171,850 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,123,000 after purchasing an additional 125,264 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 803,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,464,000 after purchasing an additional 106,688 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,867 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,602,000 after purchasing an additional 97,397 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NATR shares. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 price target on Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nature’s Sunshine Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

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.