Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 24,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,052,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,179,206.54. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• 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.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Edward Smolyansky sold 14,353 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.77, for a total value of $255,052.81.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Edward Smolyansky sold 22,313 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total value of $448,491.30.
• On Monday, March 16th, Edward Smolyansky sold 13,334 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.60, for a total value of $274,680.40.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded down $0.41 during trading on Monday, hitting $23.80. The company had a trading volume of 287,819 shares, compared to its average volume of 75,706. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $363.66 million, a P/E ratio of 24.54 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 5.7% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 8,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 659 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 16,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $406,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on LWAY shares. Weiss Ratings raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

About Lifeway Foods

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.