Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 100,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total transaction of $3,011,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at $15,272,002.77. This represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more 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, June 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.12, for a total transaction of $1,204,800.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $30.77 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.40. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $470.23 million, a P/E ratio of 31.72 and a beta of 0.45.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%. The firm had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.80 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 5.7% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares during the period. State of Wyoming lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the period. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 16,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.