Edward Smolyansky Sells 75,000 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total transaction of $1,908,750.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 894,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,772,481.85. The trade was a 7.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions 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 stock was sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18.
• On Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $237,843.36.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was 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 shares were 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 shares were 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.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 4.5%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock traded up $1.12 on Friday, reaching $25.82. The company had a trading volume of 435,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 134,036. The firm has a market cap of $394.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.89 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $29.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.03. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.60%. The company had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.40 million.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 1,091 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

About Lifeway Foods

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.