Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 7,984 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $237,843.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,110,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,090,940.53. This trade represents a 0.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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.

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

• On Tuesday, July 7th, Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total value of $1,149,872.18.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total value of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock traded up $0.62 during trading on Thursday, reaching $30.91. 110,383 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 233,396. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The firm has a market cap of $472.30 million, a PE ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $26.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth about $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted 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 purchasing an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at about $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter worth approximately $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods currently 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.