Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 45,616 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 607,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,003,687.55. The trade was a 6.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, June 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.12, for a total transaction of $1,204,800.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00.
• 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.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $29.39 on Friday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $25.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.27. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $449.08 million, a P/E ratio of 30.30 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at $90,000. 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.