Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $1,478,000.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 852,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,204,097.52. This represents a 5.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total transaction of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total transaction of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $1,310,000.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total transaction of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $30.94 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market cap of $472.76 million, a P/E ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $25.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.51.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LWAY. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth about $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the first quarter worth about $90,000. 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.