Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 39,098 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,071,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,518,961.69. The trade was a 3.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $237,843.36.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total transaction of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00.
• 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 value of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $30.91. The stock had a trading volume of 110,383 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,396. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $34.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $472.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.69.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. The firm had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LWAY shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $17,494,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $2,984,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 260.4% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after purchasing an additional 73,203 shares during the period. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 73.0% in the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,958,000 after buying an additional 68,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after buying an additional 53,900 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.