Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average of $14.49

Shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $14.49 and traded as high as $26.12. Lifeway Foods shares last traded at $25.75, with a volume of 190,389 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Noble Financial reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Friday, April 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 6th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 4.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $378.27 million, a P/E ratio of 33.88 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $17.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $14.49.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,364,787 shares in the company, valued at $15,845,177.07. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,364,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,845,177.07. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $172,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,117,081 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,477,305.63. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 156,481 shares of company stock worth $2,649,132 over the last quarter. 31.77% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $405,000. Teton Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased 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 during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at $250,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $143,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.