Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $274,680.40 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 13,334 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.60, for a total transaction of $274,680.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,138,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,449,144.80. This trade represents a 1.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, March 19th, Edward Smolyansky sold 14,353 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.77, for a total transaction of $255,052.81.
• 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.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $17.80 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $269.67 million, a P/E ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.13. The company’s 50-day moving average is $21.55 and its 200 day moving average is $24.16.

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

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LWAY shares. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.