Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 75,000 Shares of Stock

Posted by Geri Gentry on Aug 15th, 2026

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY – Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total transaction of $1,908,750.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 894,793 shares in the company, valued at $22,772,481.85. This trade represents a 7.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

On Wednesday, August 12th, Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total transaction of $1,005,900.00.
On Tuesday, July 7th, Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18.
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 transaction 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 value of $1,310,000.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $25.82 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $394.53 million, a P/E ratio of 36.89 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $29.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LWAY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.00.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on LWAY

About Lifeway Foods

(Get Free Report)

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.