Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $1,583,400.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 70,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.62, for a total value of $1,583,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 794,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,978,217.66. The trade was a 8.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Tuesday, October 13th, Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total value of $679,200.00.
• On Wednesday, August 12th, Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total value of $1,005,900.00.
• On Friday, August 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total value of $1,908,750.00.

Lifeway Foods Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $21.65 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $327.13 million, a P/E ratio of 30.93 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $23.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.09. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $32.71.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LWAY shares. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 1,244.8% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 20,103 shares during the last quarter. HBK Investments L P bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth $4,476,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 167.2% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,294 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,709,000 after acquiring an additional 77,774 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $591,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $17,459,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc is a U.S.-based food company that produces and markets cultured and probiotic dairy products. Its portfolio is centered on kefir, a fermented milk beverage available in a variety of flavors and formats, including low-fat, whole-milk, organic and lactose-free options.

The company also offers drinkable yogurt, sour cream, farmer cheese, cream cheese and other cultured dairy products. Through its Green Valley Creamery brand, Lifeway markets lactose-free organic kefir and related dairy products, while its products are sold through grocery stores, natural and specialty food retailers, club stores, mass merchandise channels and e-commerce platforms.

Lifeway Foods was founded in 1986 by Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky, who helped introduce kefir to a broader U.S.