Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 26,431 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 757,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,506,037.66. This represents a 3.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Ludmila Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, December 10th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.17, for a total value of $463,400.00.
• On Monday, December 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $353,400.00.
• On Tuesday, December 9th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,569 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.41, for a total value of $317,650.29.
• On Wednesday, October 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.44, for a total value of $264,400.00.
• On Tuesday, October 7th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.32, for a total value of $131,600.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock opened at $23.56 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.20. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.50 and a 52 week high of $34.20. The company has a market capitalization of $358.82 million, a PE ratio of 32.27 and a beta of 0.03.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.05). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 14.51% and a net margin of 5.47%.The business had revenue of $57.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Benchmark assumed coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at about $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: LWAY) is a Chicago-based food company specializing in probiotic-rich cultured dairy products. Established in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the introduction of kefir to the U.S. market. Under the leadership of CEO Julie Smolyansky, who succeeded her father in 2002, Lifeway has grown from a single product operation into a diversified portfolio of fermented foods and beverages aimed at promoting digestive health and wellness.

The company’s flagship product is kefir, a cultured milk beverage naturally rich in probiotics, vitamins and minerals.