Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 39,098 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total value of $1,149,872.18. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,071,709 shares in the company, valued at $31,518,961.69. The trade was a 3.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Major 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 Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total value of $237,843.36.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48.
• 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 value of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 2.0%

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $30.91 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $472.30 million, a PE ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.69. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its 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. 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 analyst estimates of $60.80 million.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Steadtrust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at about $477,000. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $193,000. Vivaldi Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the first quarter worth approximately $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after purchasing an additional 53,900 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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