Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Boosts Holdings in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

Key Points

• Hillsdale Investment Management increased its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 44.4% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 316,867 shares worth about $7.6 million.
• Nature's Sunshine Products recently reported better-than-expected earnings, with quarterly EPS of $0.30 versus the $0.20 consensus and revenue of $122.89 million, slightly above estimates.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with DA Davidson upgrading it to strong-buy and the consensus rating sitting at Buy with an average price target of $35.00.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR - Free Report) by 44.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 316,867 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 97,397 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. owned 1.81% of Nature's Sunshine Products worth $7,602,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products during the 4th quarter valued at $4,544,000. Manatuck Hill Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Nature's Sunshine Products during the second quarter valued at about $1,923,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Nature's Sunshine Products by 15.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 803,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,464,000 after purchasing an additional 106,688 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Nature's Sunshine Products by 14.6% during the third 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. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 215.5% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 119,798 shares of the company's stock worth $1,859,000 after purchasing an additional 81,830 shares in the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nature's Sunshine Products Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NATR opened at $21.58 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day moving average price is $21.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $379.38 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62 and a beta of 0.87. Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. has a one year low of $12.97 and a one year high of $28.14.

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

Insider Transactions at Nature's Sunshine Products

In other Nature's Sunshine Products news, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of Nature's Sunshine Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total transaction of $41,360.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 48,866 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,010,548.88. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.64, for a total transaction of $200,476.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,276 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $975,776.64. The trade was a 17.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. DA Davidson upgraded Nature's Sunshine Products to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 target price on Nature's Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nature's Sunshine Products has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $35.00.

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.

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