Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR Stock Holdings Raised by Skylands Capital LLC

Key Points

• Skylands Capital increased its Nature’s Sunshine Products stake by 1,034.4% in the third quarter, buying 163,685 additional shares for a total holding of 179,509 shares, worth approximately $2.28 million. Institutional investors collectively own 79.4% of NATR.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $30.50, despite some downgrades and reduced targets.
• NATR shares opened at $12.26, near their 12-month low of $12.00, after the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.21 and revenue of $116.99 million—both below analyst expectations.

Skylands Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR - Free Report) by 1,034.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,509 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 163,685 shares during the quarter. Skylands Capital LLC owned 1.02% of Nature's Sunshine Products worth $2,278,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NATR. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Nature's Sunshine Products in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $21,561,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 531,924 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,827 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 316,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,602,000 after purchasing an additional 97,397 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Nature's Sunshine Products during the 2nd quarter valued at $7,412,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 83.0% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 178,241 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,276,000 after purchasing an additional 80,848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on NATR shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Nature's Sunshine Products from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Nature's Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Nature's Sunshine Products from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $30.50.

Nature's Sunshine Products Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NATR stock opened at $12.26 on Thursday. Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.00 and a 12-month high of $28.14. The firm's 50 day moving average is $13.40 and its 200 day moving average is $19.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.78 million, a P/E ratio of 12.14 and a beta of 0.81.

Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $116.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.70 million. Nature's Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 3.68%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 96,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.63 per share, for a total transaction of $1,596,480.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 1,883,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,324,434.30. This represents a 5.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 161,389 shares of company stock valued at $2,612,536. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

About Nature's Sunshine Products

Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc is a natural health and wellness company that develops, manufactures and distributes nutritional supplements and related products. Its portfolio includes herbal supplements, vitamins, minerals, specialty nutrition products, personal care items, essential oils and products focused on areas such as sports nutrition and weight management.

The company markets products under the Nature's Sunshine and Synergy WorldWide brands. It sells through direct-selling and other distribution channels, serving customers in the United States and international markets, including countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Founded in 1972, Nature's Sunshine Products has emphasized ingredient sourcing, product formulation and in-house manufacturing as parts of its business model.

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