Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 100,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total transaction of $3,011,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at $15,272,002.77. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% 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 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 Wednesday, June 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.12, for a total value of $1,204,800.00.
• 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 value of $492,800.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 2.0%

LWAY opened at $31.40 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $27.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $479.79 million, a PE ratio of 32.37 and a beta of 0.45. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.30. The company had revenue of $63.01 million for 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Steadtrust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $477,000. Carlson Capital L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $193,000. Vivaldi Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at about $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at about $193,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,151,000 after buying an additional 53,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.