Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $3,011,000.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total transaction of $3,011,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,272,002.77. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, June 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 40,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.12, for a total transaction of $1,204,800.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00.

Lifeway Foods Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $30.97 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.52. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. The company has a market cap of $473.22 million, a PE ratio of 31.93 and a beta of 0.45.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LWAY. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth approximately $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.