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 the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,183,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,003,324.60. This represents 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 shares 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 stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY opened at $26.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $403.85 million, a P/E ratio of 27.25 and a beta of 0.48. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $25.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.11.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LWAY shares. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment 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, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $17,494,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $2,984,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 260.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,812,000 after buying an additional 73,203 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 73.0% in the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,958,000 after acquiring an additional 68,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.5% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after acquiring an additional 53,900 shares during 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.