Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $3,263,894.48 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 902,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,411,304.92. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total transaction of $1,478,000.00.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were 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 stock was 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 stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $30.94 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market cap of $472.76 million, a PE ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.51.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (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 net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LWAY has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

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.