Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 5,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total value of $133,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,932,785.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, April 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,620 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.56, for a total value of $78,047.20.
• On Tuesday, April 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 21,968 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $446,609.44.
• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $200,400.00.
• On Monday, April 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $44,956.50.
• On Friday, April 5th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.56, for a total value of $97,800.00.
• On Monday, April 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.40, for a total transaction of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total transaction of $243,230.00.
• On Friday, March 22nd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total value of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total transaction of $167,108.28.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.6 %

LWAY stock opened at $25.60 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $376.09 million, a PE ratio of 33.68 and a beta of 1.31. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $17.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.57. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $5.75 and a fifty-two week high of $27.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $42.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 7.10%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at $405,000. Teton Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth $114,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 64.9% during the third quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 49,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 19,455 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at $250,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $143,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LWAY. Noble Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital started coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Friday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target for the company.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.