Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 10,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total transaction of $187,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 747,823 shares in the company, valued at $14,014,203.02. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 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 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total transaction of $645,445.02.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $18.06 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.49 and a 1 year high of $34.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $274.99 million, a P/E ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 0.13.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $55.36 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.25% and a net margin of 6.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.