Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 20,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total value of $492,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 712,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,563,958.72. This trade represents a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, April 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.50, for a total value of $397,500.00.
• On Wednesday, March 18th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total value of $187,400.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ LWAY traded up $1.49 on Tuesday, reaching $25.29. 61,859 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 75,079. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $23.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $386.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11 and a beta of 0.53. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20.

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

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at $17,494,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after purchasing an additional 19,035 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.5% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after purchasing an additional 53,900 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 73.0% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 163,361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,958,000 after purchasing an additional 68,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.2% in the third quarter. Slotnik Capital LLC now owns 141,761 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,935,000 after acquiring an additional 11,921 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Lifeway Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital increased its stake by buying 33,174 shares at $25.27 per share, following an even larger purchase of 131,871 shares the prior day. Large insider buying can be viewed as a sign of confidence in the company’s outlook. Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana Purchases 33,174 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Lifeway Foods recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.30, matching estimates, while revenue came in above expectations at $63.01 million. That backdrop is supportive, but it is not the main new catalyst behind today’s move. Lifeway Foods stock and earnings information
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares at $24.87, and separately sold 25,000 shares at $25.34. Repeated insider selling can pressure sentiment because investors may view it as reduced confidence or profit-taking. Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $596,880.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Broker downgraded Lifeway Foods, adding another headwind for the shares and reinforcing caution around the stock’s near-term valuation. Freedom Broker downgrades Lifeway Foods (LWAY)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

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.