Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total transaction of $133,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,932,785.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, April 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,620 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.56, for a total transaction of $78,047.20.
• On Tuesday, April 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 21,968 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $446,609.44.
• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $200,400.00.
• On Monday, April 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $44,956.50.
• On Friday, April 5th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.56, for a total transaction of $97,800.00.
• On Monday, April 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.40, for a total transaction of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total value of $243,230.00.
• On Friday, March 22nd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total value of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total value of $167,108.28.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY traded down $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $25.60. 161,381 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 107,216. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.75 and a 1-year high of $27.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $17.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.75. The firm has a market cap of $376.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.68 and a beta of 1.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 20.92%. The business had revenue of $42.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Research analysts anticipate that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after acquiring an additional 31,813 shares in the last quarter. EAM Investors LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,353,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 49,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 19,455 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $405,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Noble Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital began coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Friday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 target price for the company.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.