Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $44,956.50 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total value of $44,956.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,300,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,656,990.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total value of $200,400.00.
• On Friday, April 5th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.56, for a total value of $97,800.00.
• On Monday, April 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.40, for a total value of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total value of $243,230.00.
• On Friday, March 22nd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total value of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total value of $167,108.28.
• On Thursday, February 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67.
• On Tuesday, February 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.84, for a total value of $118,400.00.
• On Wednesday, January 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total value of $67,200.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $19.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.75. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $5.61 and a fifty-two week high of $23.31. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $14.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.47. The firm has a market cap of $284.99 million, a P/E ratio of 25.53 and a beta of 1.33.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 7.10%. The company had revenue of $42.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 6th. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Friday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Noble Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,982 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 8,200 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 317,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,257,000 after acquiring an additional 21,732 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,494,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after acquiring an additional 31,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EAM Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,353,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.