Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells $446,609.44 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 21,968 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total value of $446,609.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,268,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,786,023.09. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own more than 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 Thursday, April 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,620 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.56, for a total value of $78,047.20.
• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total value of $200,400.00.
• On Monday, April 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $44,956.50.
• On Friday, April 5th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.56, for a total transaction of $97,800.00.
• On Monday, April 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.40, for a total transaction of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total transaction of $243,230.00.
• On Friday, March 22nd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total value of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total value of $167,108.28.
• On Thursday, February 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $21.49. 80,202 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 88,510. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.79. The firm has a market cap of $315.69 million, a P/E ratio of 28.28 and a beta of 1.33. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.61 and a 1-year high of $23.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.30 and a quick ratio of 1.75.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $42.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 7.10%. On average, analysts expect that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LWAY. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Friday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 6th. Finally, Noble Financial reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, March 27th.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 656.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 5,500 shares in the last quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at approximately $114,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $187,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.