Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Stock Crosses Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $20.04 and traded as low as $12.31. Nature’s Sunshine Products shares last traded at $12.40, with a volume of 126,917 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NATR. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two equities 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.com, Nature’s Sunshine Products currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.50.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Up 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $221.58 million, a PE ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $14.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $19.96.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem bought 96,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 1,883,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,324,434.30. This trade represents a 5.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders bought a total of 161,389 shares of company stock worth $2,612,536 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nature’s Sunshine Products

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NATR. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the first quarter worth about $48,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the fourth quarter worth about $201,000. Finally, State of Wyoming acquired a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 2nd quarter valued at about $249,000. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc is a natural health and wellness company that develops, manufactures and distributes nutritional supplements and related products. Its portfolio includes herbal supplements, vitamins, minerals, specialty nutrition products, personal care items, essential oils and products focused on areas such as sports nutrition and weight management.

The company markets products under the Nature’s Sunshine and Synergy WorldWide brands. It sells through direct-selling and other distribution channels, serving customers in the United States and international markets, including countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Founded in 1972, Nature’s Sunshine Products has emphasized ingredient sourcing, product formulation and in-house manufacturing as parts of its business model.