Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.14 EPS

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.14), reports. The firm had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 14.51%.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $21.07 on Tuesday. Lifeway Foods has a fifty-two week low of $20.04 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $21.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.42. The company has a market cap of $320.86 million, a P/E ratio of 29.15 and a beta of 0.13.

Insider Activity at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 757,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,506,037.66. This trade represents a 3.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at $258,000. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 73.0% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,958,000 after acquiring an additional 68,956 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 266.3% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 57,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 41,836 shares during the period. Man Group plc purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $206,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 19,585 shares of the company’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 3,062 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LWAY has been the topic of several research reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: LWAY) is a Chicago-based food company specializing in probiotic-rich cultured dairy products. Established in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the introduction of kefir to the U.S. market. Under the leadership of CEO Julie Smolyansky, who succeeded her father in 2002, Lifeway has grown from a single product operation into a diversified portfolio of fermented foods and beverages aimed at promoting digestive health and wellness.

The company’s flagship product is kefir, a cultured milk beverage naturally rich in probiotics, vitamins and minerals.