S.A. Danone Sells 3,454,756 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder S.A. Danone sold 3,454,756 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total value of $67,367,742.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock traded up $0.33 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $25.53. The company had a trading volume of 193,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 79,315. The firm has a market cap of $390.10 million, a PE ratio of 26.32 and a beta of 0.53. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $23.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.96. 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 earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.The company had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.80 million.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth about $17,494,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $2,984,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 260.4% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after purchasing an additional 73,203 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 73.0% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,958,000 after purchasing an additional 68,956 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.5% in 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 period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LWAY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.