Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 20,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 712,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,563,958.72. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, April 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total transaction of $397,500.00.
• On Wednesday, March 18th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total transaction of $187,400.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $25.53 on Thursday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.31 and a 200 day moving average of $22.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $390.10 million, a P/E ratio of 26.32 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LWAY shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vivaldi Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at $193,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after acquiring an additional 53,900 shares during the period. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after acquiring an additional 19,035 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.