Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.14), reports. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 14.51% and a net margin of 5.47%.The firm had revenue of $55.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock opened at $20.45 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.42. The company has a market cap of $311.36 million, a P/E ratio of 28.01 and a beta of 0.13. Lifeway Foods has a fifty-two week low of $20.04 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 757,823 shares in the company, valued at $18,506,037.66. This trade represents a 3.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LWAY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

About Lifeway Foods

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.