Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. $NATR

Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 340,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,412,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter valued at $21,561,000. 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 acquiring an additional 20,037 shares in the last quarter. 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 purchasing an additional 106,688 shares in the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $10,488,000 after purchasing an additional 86,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position 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 in the last quarter. 79.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kevin R. Herbert sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.68, for a total value of $41,360.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,010,548.88. This trade represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel C. Norman sold 9,713 shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.64, for a total transaction of $200,476.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 47,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $975,776.64. This represents a 17.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 161,389 shares of company stock worth $2,612,536 and sold 23,681 shares worth $480,000. Company insiders own 3.10% of the company’s stock.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ NATR opened at $14.29 on Thursday. Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. has a 12-month low of $12.97 and a 12-month high of $28.14. The company has a market cap of $251.50 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15 and a beta of 0.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $19.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.57.

Nature’s Sunshine Products (NASDAQ:NATR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $116.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.70 million. Nature’s Sunshine Products had a return on equity of 12.88% and a net margin of 3.68%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NATR. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Nature’s Sunshine Products from $33.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group cut 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nature’s Sunshine Products currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.50.

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.