Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) Stock Passes Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) shares passed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $23.78 and traded as low as $20.50. Nature’s Sunshine Products shares last traded at $20.86, with a volume of 135,707 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $366.72 million, a PE ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 0.86. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $22.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.78.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $122.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $122.15 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 4.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Bryant J. Yates sold 11,968 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.90, for a total value of $238,163.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,541,175.40. This represents a 13.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nathan G. Brower sold 12,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.84, for a total value of $262,407.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 43,438 shares in the company, valued at $948,685.92. This trade represents a 21.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 35,696 shares of company stock worth $742,407 over the last three months. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nature’s Sunshine Products

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of 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 last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 803,104 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,464,000 after buying an additional 106,688 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 14.6% in the third 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 boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 360,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,782,000 after acquiring an additional 1,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

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.