Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $1,149,872.18 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,071,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,518,961.69. The trade was a 3.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $237,843.36.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total transaction of $1,478,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total transaction of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total transaction of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 182,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 231,568. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $26.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $484.38 million, a P/E ratio of 32.68 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter worth about $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently 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.