AWM Investment Company Inc. Takes $5.18 Million Position in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

AWM Investment Company Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 350,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,176,000. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned 1.98% of Nature’s Sunshine Products at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NATR. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 39,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $578,000 after buying an additional 1,271 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 9.7% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 21,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares during the period. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 18.4% in the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 16,369 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,538 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NATR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a report on Monday. Two research 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, Nature’s Sunshine Products presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $22.50.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NATR opened at $22.74 on Friday. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.01 and a 1 year high of $22.83. The firm has a market cap of $397.95 million, a P/E ratio of 28.07 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.32.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.18. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 3.18%.The firm had revenue of $88.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $119.39 million.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 8,884 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.46, for a total transaction of $181,766.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 66,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,363,372.56. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Jonathan David Lanoy sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.45, for a total value of $102,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 46,233 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $945,464.85. This trade represents a 9.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,684 shares of company stock worth $363,095. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

About Nature’s Sunshine Products

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc, a natural health and wellness company, manufactures and sells nutritional and personal care products in Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and internationally. It offers general health products related to blood sugar support, bone health, cellular health, cognitive function, joint health, mood, sexual health, sleep, sports and energy, and vision.