Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $353,400.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $353,400.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 817,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,267,909.88. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, December 9th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,569 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.41, for a total value of $317,650.29.
• On Wednesday, October 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.44, for a total value of $264,400.00.
• On Tuesday, October 7th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.32, for a total value of $131,600.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 1.1%

Lifeway Foods stock traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $23.18. The company had a trading volume of 115,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 75,457. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.50 and a 1 year high of $34.20. The business has a fifty day moving average of $24.75 and a 200 day moving average of $26.21. The stock has a market cap of $353.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.75 and a beta of 0.03.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $57.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 14.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter worth $17,494,000. TIG Advisors LLC raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 55.9% during the 1st quarter. TIG Advisors LLC now owns 220,817 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,399,000 after buying an additional 79,218 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 260.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,812,000 after buying an additional 73,203 shares during the last quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter worth $1,490,000. Finally, Beryl Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.3% in the first quarter. Beryl Capital Management LLC now owns 193,888 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,741,000 after acquiring an additional 48,439 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LWAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Benchmark started coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

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.