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 transaction of $238,163.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,541,175.40. The trade was a 13.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Price Performance

Shares of NATR traded down $0.07 during midday 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 1-year low of $12.97 and a 1-year high of $28.14. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.81. The company has a market cap of $358.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55 and a beta of 0.86.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.10. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a net margin of 4.06% and a return on equity of 14.67%. The company 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 research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nature’s Sunshine Products

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 913,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,181,000 after purchasing an additional 20,037 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 675,764 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,488,000 after purchasing an additional 86,128 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 531,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,827 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 360,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares during the period. 79.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

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.