Nelson Obus, Wynnefield Capital Boost Stake In Nature’s Sunshine Prod. (NATR)

Nelson Obus‘ Wynnefield Capital had disclosed an increase in its holding of Nature’s Sunshine Prod. (NASDAQ:NATR) in a recent Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Around 23,700 shares were acquired in 9 transactions at prices varying between $13.19 and $13.23 per share, taking Obus and Wynnefield’s stake to an aggregate of almost 1.60 million shares. Given the current market price of $13.60, the position is worth approximately $21.7 million.

Several other hedge fund gurus are optimistic about the prospects of Nature’s Sunshine Prod. (NASDAQ:NATR), including Jim Simmons. His fund, Renaissance Technologies, has revealed a 4% increase in its stake during the Q4 of 2013 to 93,700 shares worth $1.62 million. Phil Frohlich and Prescott Group Capital Management are also keeping tabs, although they have not made any adjustment to their investment. According to its latest 13F report, Prescott Group holds 1.86 million shares valued at $32.3 million.

Nature’s Sunshine Prod. (NASDAQ:NATR) engages in the manufacturing and sale of nutritional and personal care products and has a worldwide presence. The company has a market cap of $220 million and pays an annual dividend of $2 per share, which translates into a yield of 14.1%. The stock is traded at a trailing Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio of 12.xx, which is significantly lower than the industry average of 50.90. The stock has been trending down since October 2013, after it came close to the $20 per share, a level it has never managed to get past. For the three months ending December 31, 2013, Nature’s Sunshine posted revenues of $95.5 million and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.11.

During the fourth quarter of 2014, Obus had increased his fund’s stake in Nature’s Sunshine Prod. (NASDAQ:NATR) by 4%, keeping it as the biggest equity position in his portfolio. He has also added 37% to Wynnefield’s holding of Chiquita Brands International Inc (NYSE:CQB), taking it to 765,000 shares valued at $8,8 million, and 3% to the fund’s stake in Westmoreland Coal Company (NASDAQ:WLB), taking it to approximately 743,700 shares worth $14.2 million. In a recent move, Nelson Obus has upped his interest in GlyEco Inc (OTCMKTS:GLYE). Wynnefield Capital has disclosed an increase in its position to 4.48 million shares or 8.9% of the total number of shares outstanding.

Disclosure: none.

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