StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a report released on Monday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 3.0 %

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $23.98 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $364.57 million, a P/E ratio of 27.88 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.47 and a 200-day moving average of $23.81. Lifeway Foods has a 12-month low of $10.06 and a 12-month high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.19). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%. The firm had revenue of $46.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.00 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.24, for a total transaction of $667,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 995,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,141,009.76. The trade was a 2.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $464,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 82,034 shares of company stock valued at $1,842,967 over the last three months. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 71.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 718 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 5,606 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 40.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.