Edward Smolyansky Sells 25,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,076,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,282,108.28. The trade was a 2.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total transaction of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, March 19th, Edward Smolyansky sold 14,353 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.77, for a total transaction of $255,052.81.
• On Tuesday, March 17th, Edward Smolyansky sold 22,313 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total transaction of $448,491.30.
• On Monday, March 16th, Edward Smolyansky sold 13,334 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.60, for a total transaction of $274,680.40.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 1.7%

LWAY traded down $0.41 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $23.80. 287,819 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 75,706. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.96. The company has a market cap of $363.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54 and a beta of 0.53. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.31 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The business had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LWAY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $17,494,000. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $1,041,000. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 15,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $437,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lifeway Foods

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.