Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Cut to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report published on Wednesday morning.

Separately, Noble Financial reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 10.9 %

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $17.22 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $252.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66 and a beta of 1.29. Lifeway Foods has a twelve month low of $5.61 and a twelve month high of $19.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $12.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 2,559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total transaction of $49,516.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,116,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,958,261.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Lifeway Foods news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 2,559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total value of $49,516.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,116,706 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,958,261.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 138,627 shares of company stock valued at $2,066,684. 31.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 268,069 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,534 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,821 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,494,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 14.7% during the 2nd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 17,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 2,212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. 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.