Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Raises Position in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

Key Points

• Arrowstreet Capital increased its Nature’s Sunshine Products stake by 268.9% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 171,850 shares worth approximately $4.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.4% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.50. Ratings range from Strong Buy to Hold, while Canaccord Genuity set a $36 target.
• Nature’s Sunshine reported quarterly EPS of $0.30, beating estimates of $0.20, on revenue of $122.89 million. However, company insiders sold 35,696 shares worth about $742,407 over the past 90 days.

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR - Free Report) by 268.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 171,850 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 125,264 shares during the quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership owned about 0.98% of Nature's Sunshine Products worth $4,123,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 44,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Nature's Sunshine Products by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 54,008 shares of the company's stock valued at $799,000 after purchasing an additional 753 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd grew its holdings in Nature's Sunshine Products by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,340 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 1,092 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Nature's Sunshine Products during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,798 shares of the company's stock worth $1,075,000 after buying an additional 1,513 shares during the period. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NATR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Nature's Sunshine Products to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings cut Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $34.50.

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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total value of $41,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,010,548.88. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total value of $238,163.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,541,175.40. This trade represents a 13.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407 in the last ninety days. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Nature's Sunshine Products Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NATR opened at $21.14 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $371.64 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.22 and a beta of 0.88. Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. has a one year low of $12.97 and a one year high of $28.14. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.61.

Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.10. Nature's Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 4.06%.The firm had revenue of $122.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $122.15 million.

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.

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