Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 50,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 852,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,204,097.52. The trade was a 5.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total value of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 5.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $30.94 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $25.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $472.76 million, a P/E ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on LWAY. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $90,000. Institutional investors 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.