Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 40,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.12, for a total transaction of $1,204,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 652,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,663,028.76. The trade was a 5.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, June 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40.
• On Friday, May 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00.
• On Monday, April 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $397,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $29.39 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $449.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.30 and a beta of 0.48. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $25.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.27.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth $17,494,000. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $2,984,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 260.4% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after purchasing an additional 73,203 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 73.0% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,958,000 after purchasing an additional 68,956 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 53,900 shares during the last quarter. 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.