Edward Smolyansky Sells 50,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $1,310,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,183,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,003,324.60. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large 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 Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY opened at $28.61 on Wednesday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The stock has a market cap of $437.16 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.49 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $25.27 and a 200-day moving average of $23.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. The company had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LWAY. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two research 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during 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 during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.