Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Sells $1,103,500.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $1,103,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,132,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,063,899.81. This trade represents a 2.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $22.30. 34,679 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 51,735. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.23. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.06 and a 52 week high of $27.29.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.04. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%. The firm had revenue of $46.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 million.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 9,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lifeway Foods

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.