Edward Smolyansky Sells 50,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total transaction of $1,478,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 852,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,204,097.52. This represents a 5.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value 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 shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value 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 shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 5.1%

NASDAQ:LWAY traded up $1.49 on Thursday, reaching $30.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 130,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 193,614. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $25.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.46. The firm has a market cap of $472.76 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LWAY. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter worth $193,000. Vivaldi Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew 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 purchasing an additional 53,900 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.