Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 100,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total transaction of $3,011,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,272,002.77. This trade represents a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, June 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was 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.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $30.86. 9,658 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 110,771. The company has a market capitalization of $471.46 million, a P/E ratio of 31.81 and a beta of 0.45. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.51 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 293.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LWAY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

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.