Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday morning.

NATR has been the subject of several other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on 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. DA Davidson dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $30.50.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Price Performance

NASDAQ NATR opened at $15.12 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $20.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.19. Nature’s Sunshine Products has a 12 month low of $12.97 and a 12 month high of $28.14. The company has a market capitalization of $266.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Insider Activity at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In other news, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $975,776.64. This represents a 17.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem bought 96,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $16.63 per share, with a total value of $1,596,480.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders bought 141,389 shares of company stock worth $2,318,736 and sold 35,696 shares worth $742,407. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nature’s Sunshine Products

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,766,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 24.3% in the second quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 123,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,701,000 after purchasing an additional 24,182 shares during the period. 79.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.