Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Shares Cross Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $22.98 and traded as high as $24.80. Lifeway Foods shares last traded at $24.11, with a volume of 62,441 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. 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 company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $23.68 and a 200 day moving average of $22.98. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $368.40 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.86 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,052,642 shares in the company, valued at $26,179,206.54. This trade represents a 2.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total value of $492,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 712,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,563,958.72. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 3,598,756 shares of company stock valued at $70,654,047 in the last three months. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth 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. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,300 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. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of 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 worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.