Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $18.70 on Friday. Lifeway Foods has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $21.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.78 and a beta of 0.13.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.13). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 17.25%. The business had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 22,313 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total transaction of $448,491.30. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,115,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,431,499.50. This trade represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total transaction of $187,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 747,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,014,203.02. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 60,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,165,625. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,075,000 after purchasing an additional 7,718 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $246,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.