Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $255,052.81 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 14,353 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.77, for a total transaction of $255,052.81. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,101,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,576,178.34. The trade was a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, March 17th, Edward Smolyansky sold 22,313 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total transaction of $448,491.30.
• On Monday, March 16th, Edward Smolyansky sold 13,334 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.60, for a total transaction of $274,680.40.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $17.80 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a market capitalization of $269.67 million, a PE ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a fifty day moving average of $21.55 and a 200-day moving average of $24.12.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 17.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 15,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two research 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

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.