Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $200,400.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total value of $200,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,290,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,858,433.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 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 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 value 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 value 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 value of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were 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 shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total value of $167,108.28.
• On Thursday, February 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67.
• On Tuesday, February 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.84, for a total value of $118,400.00.
• On Wednesday, January 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total value of $67,200.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $19.99 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $293.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30 and a beta of 1.33. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $13.39. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $5.61 and a 12-month high of $23.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 656.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Denali Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Finally, UBS Group AG increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 12,896.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 16,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 16,765 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Friday, April 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Noble Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 6th.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.