North Star Investment Management Corp. Raises Holdings 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% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. 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. owned about 0.57% of Nature’s Sunshine Products worth $2,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP increased 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 period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 54,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $799,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd boosted its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 14,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 3.1% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Nature’s Sunshine Products Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NATR opened at $21.02 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $22.68 and its 200 day moving average is $23.78. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 1 year low of $12.97 and a 1 year high of $28.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $369.64 million, a P/E ratio of 19.11 and a beta of 0.86.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $122.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $122.15 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 4.06%.

Insider Activity at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In related news, EVP Nathan G. Brower sold 12,015 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.84, for a total value of $262,407.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 43,438 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $948,685.92. This trade represents a 21.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total transaction of $238,163.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. This represents a 13.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407. 3.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Nature’s Sunshine Products 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.