Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Sells 50,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $1,103,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,132,483 shares in the company, valued at $47,063,899.81. This trade represents a 2.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $22.30. The company had a trading volume of 34,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 51,735. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.23. The company has a market capitalization of $339.03 million, a PE ratio of 25.93 and a beta of 0.75. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $10.06 and a one year high of $27.29.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $46.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.50 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 9,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after buying an additional 868 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Saturday. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

About Lifeway Foods

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.