Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 10,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total value of $187,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 747,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,014,203.02. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, December 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02.

Lifeway Foods Trading Down 3.6%

NASDAQ LWAY traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $17.83. 62,662 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 48,918. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.49 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.30. The company has a market cap of $271.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.81 and a beta of 0.13.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $55.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 17.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LWAY has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its stake in 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 valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.