Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 30,000 Shares of Company Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total transaction of $679,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 864,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,578,913.52. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 Wednesday, August 12th, Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total transaction of $1,005,900.00.
• On Friday, August 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total transaction of $1,908,750.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $22.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $32.71. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $24.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.91. The firm has a market cap of $335.53 million, a P/E ratio of 31.73 and a beta of 0.47.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.66%. The company had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $61.40 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LWAY. Weiss Ratings lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Freedom Capital raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State of Wyoming lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the period. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. R Squared Ltd increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 40.2% during the 1st quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 4,413 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 40.2% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 27,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 7,874 shares during the period. Finally, Carlson Capital L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc is a food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes cultured and probiotic products. The company is best known for Lifeway Kefir, a fermented, cultured milk beverage available in a range of flavors and formulations, including low-fat, nonfat and lactose-free options.

Its product portfolio also includes ProBugs kefir for children, non-dairy kefir, drinkable yogurt, European-style farmer cheese, sour cream and other cultured dairy products.