Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR Shares Bought by Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc.

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 340,000 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the period. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. owned 1.94% of Nature’s Sunshine Products worth $7,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NATR. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the 1st quarter worth approximately $174,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 317,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,700,000 after purchasing an additional 27,300 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 228,698 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,382,000 after purchasing an additional 31,696 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 21,180 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 1,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 91.9% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 23,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $348,000 after purchasing an additional 11,389 shares during the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $37.00 target price on Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Monday, May 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.00.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

NATR stock opened at $20.08 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $353.11 million, a PE ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 0.86. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $23.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.80. 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) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $122.89 million for 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 Activity

In other news, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total transaction of $238,163.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,541,175.40. The trade was a 13.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.64, for a total transaction of $200,476.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $975,776.64. The trade was a 17.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407 in the last 90 days. 3.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.