North Star Investment Management Corp. Raises Stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 33.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 99,550 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp.’s holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products were worth $2,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 1st quarter valued at $174,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 valued at $3,382,000 after purchasing an additional 31,696 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted 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. boosted 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 owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

Shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock opened at $21.02 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.78. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $12.97 and a fifty-two week high of $28.14. The company has a market cap of $369.64 million, a P/E ratio of 19.11 and a beta of 0.86.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.10. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 4.06%.The firm had revenue of $122.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $122.15 million.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 price objective on Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nature’s Sunshine Products news, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total transaction of $41,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,010,548.88. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.64, for a total value of $200,476.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $975,776.64. The trade was a 17.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

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.