Short Interest in Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) Declines By 24.0%

Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATR) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 87,200 shares, a drop of 24.0% from the November 15th total of 114,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 39,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Insider Activity at Nature’s Sunshine Products

In related news, major shareholder Fosun Pharmaceutical Shanghai sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.39, for a total transaction of $40,170.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 69,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $928,556.33. This represents a 4.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,499 shares of company stock worth $99,802. Corporate insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nature’s Sunshine Products

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Nature’s Sunshine Products in the second quarter valued at $180,000. Bailard Inc. bought a new stake in Nature’s Sunshine Products during the second quarter worth about $197,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 20,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 35,602 shares of the company’s stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 12,152 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products by 12.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 48,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $732,000 after buying an additional 5,425 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NATR shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, September 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Nature’s Sunshine Products in a research report on Friday, September 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $18.00 price objective on the stock.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Price Performance

Shares of NATR opened at $15.61 on Monday. Nature’s Sunshine Products has a 1-year low of $10.81 and a 1-year high of $21.72. The company has a market capitalization of $288.47 million, a P/E ratio of 17.74 and a beta of 0.93. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.55.

Nature’s Sunshine Products Company Profile

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.