989,020 Shares in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR Acquired by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 989,020 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter, giving it a 5.63% stake valued at approximately $21.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.4% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive but tempered: the stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $30.50, although DA Davidson and Canaccord Genuity recently reduced their targets.
• Nature’s Sunshine reported weaker-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings per share of $0.21 versus a $0.27 consensus estimate and revenue of $116.99 million versus expectations of $123.70 million. The stock opened at $14.16, near its 52-week low of $12.97.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 989,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,561,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 5.63% of Nature's Sunshine Products as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NATR. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new position in Nature's Sunshine Products during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter valued at $37,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 16,025.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,935 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 1,923 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products during the 1st quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products during the 3rd quarter worth $157,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Nature's Sunshine Products from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Nature's Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased 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. Two investment 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $30.50.

Nature's Sunshine Products Stock Up 2.1%

Nature's Sunshine Products stock opened at $14.16 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $18.59 and a 200-day moving average of $22.15. Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 52-week low of $12.97 and a 52-week high of $28.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $249.22 million, a P/E ratio of 14.02 and a beta of 0.84.

Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) 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). Nature's Sunshine Products had a net margin of 3.68% and a return on equity of 12.88%. The business had revenue of $116.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.70 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nature's Sunshine Products

In other Nature's Sunshine Products news, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 $1,010,548.88. The trade was a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total value of $238,163.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. This represents a 13.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased 161,389 shares of company stock valued at $2,612,536 over the last three months. 3.10% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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