Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on LWAY. Noble Financial raised Lifeway Foods from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of LWAY opened at $19.18 on Friday. Lifeway Foods has a 12-month low of $9.06 and a 12-month high of $28.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.67 million, a P/E ratio of 22.30 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $13.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.59.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $49.16 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.50 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 21.92%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.21 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lifeway Foods will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total transaction of $240,444.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares in the company, valued at $336,191.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Lifeway Foods news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total value of $240,444.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $336,191.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eric A. Hanson sold 5,546 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.91, for a total transaction of $104,874.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,546 shares in the company, valued at $483,074.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 33,114 shares of company stock worth $525,145. Insiders own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $303,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after buying an additional 31,813 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 37.8% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 109,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,889,000 after buying an additional 30,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 56.6% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 21,168 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.