Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) Short Interest Update

Key Points

• Short interest surged in Nature's Sunshine Products during June, rising 70.4% to 583,679 shares as of June 15, equal to 3.4% of shares outstanding and about 3.9 days of trading volume.
• The stock fell 2.1% to $21.50 in Thursday trading, leaving the company with a market cap of about $378 million and a P/E ratio of 19.5.
• The company recently beat quarterly earnings expectations, posting $0.30 EPS versus the $0.20 consensus, while revenue of $122.89 million also slightly topped estimates.

Nature's Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totaling 583,679 shares, a growth of 70.4% from the May 31st total of 342,571 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 148,550 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 3.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Nature's Sunshine Products Stock Down 2.1%

Nature's Sunshine Products stock traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $21.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 66,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 123,758. The stock has a market capitalization of $378.08 million, a P/E ratio of 19.50 and a beta of 0.86. Nature's Sunshine Products has a twelve month low of $12.97 and a twelve month high of $28.14. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $22.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.77.

Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $122.15 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nature's Sunshine Products

In related news, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total transaction of $238,163.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at $1,541,175.40. This represents a 13.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total value of $41,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 48,866 shares in the company, valued at $1,010,548.88. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407. Insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nature's Sunshine Products

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Nature's Sunshine Products by 2.2% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 913,791 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,181,000 after buying an additional 20,037 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 15.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 803,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,464,000 after acquiring an additional 106,688 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 14.6% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 675,764 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,488,000 after acquiring an additional 86,128 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 1.5% in 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 period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 360,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NATR shares. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 target price on shares of Nature's Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, May 8th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Nature's Sunshine Products in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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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