Edward Smolyansky Sells 111,548 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 902,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,411,304.92. The trade was a 11.00% 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. Major 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 Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were 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 transaction of $1,310,000.00.
• 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 transaction 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 Price Performance

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $30.94 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $25.99 and a 200 day moving average of $23.51. The firm has a market cap of $472.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $34.20.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $193,000. Vivaldi Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth approximately $193,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake 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 worth $4,151,000 after acquiring an additional 53,900 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on LWAY shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. 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 analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.