Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Nature’s Sunshine Products to “Hold” from “Buy,” though the broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy” with a $30.50 price target.
• The company’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, reporting $0.21 in earnings per share versus $0.27 expected and revenue of $116.99 million versus $123.70 million forecast.
• NATR shares opened at $15.12, well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while a major shareholder purchased 96,000 shares; institutional investors own 79.4% of the stock.

Nature's Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered 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 note on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Nature's Sunshine Products from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on Nature's Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nature's Sunshine Products has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.50.

Nature's Sunshine Products Stock Performance

Shares of Nature's Sunshine Products stock opened at $15.12 on Friday. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $20.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.19. Nature's Sunshine Products has a twelve month low of $12.97 and a twelve month high of $28.14. The firm has a market cap of $266.11 million, a P/E ratio of 14.97 and a beta of 0.88.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $116.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.70 million. Nature's Sunshine Products had a net margin of 3.68% and a return on equity of 12.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Prescott Group Capital Managem purchased 96,000 shares of Nature's Sunshine Products stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were 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 owned 77,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. This trade represents a 13.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 141,389 shares of company stock worth $2,318,736 and sold 35,696 shares worth $742,407. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 44.4% in the first 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 in the last quarter. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products during the first quarter valued at $601,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position 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 period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Nature's Sunshine Products by 268.9% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 171,850 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,123,000 after acquiring an additional 125,264 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its position in shares of Nature's Sunshine Products by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 99,550 shares of the company's stock worth $2,388,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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