Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $187,400.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total value of $187,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 747,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,014,203.02. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, December 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

LWAY 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 company has a market capitalization of $269.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78 and a beta of 0.13. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.12.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released 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). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 17.25%. The company had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.00 million.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd 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. purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during 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 during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LWAY. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price target on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two research 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

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.