Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 14,353 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 14,353 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.77, for a total value of $255,052.81. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,101,642 shares in the company, valued at $19,576,178.34. This trade represents a 1.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 Tuesday, March 17th, Edward Smolyansky sold 22,313 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.10, for a total value of $448,491.30.
• On Monday, March 16th, Edward Smolyansky sold 13,334 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.60, for a total value of $274,680.40.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY traded down $0.66 during trading on Thursday, reaching $17.83. 62,662 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 48,918. The company has a market cap of $271.55 million, a P/E ratio of 19.81 and a beta of 0.13. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.49 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.30.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its 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). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.65% and a net margin of 6.52%.The company had revenue of $55.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.00 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in 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 worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares in 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.