Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 70,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.62, for a total value of $1,583,400.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 794,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,978,217.66. This represents a 8.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own 10% or more 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, October 13th, Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total value of $679,200.00.
• On Wednesday, August 12th, Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total value of $1,005,900.00.
• On Friday, August 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total value of $1,908,750.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $22.20. 99,786 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 119,989. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.09. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $17.31 and a one year high of $32.71. The company has a market cap of $335.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.71 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.18 and a 200 day moving average of $24.52.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 4.48%. The business had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.40 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LWAY. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.00.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at $26,000. State of Wyoming boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Carlson Capital L.P. purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth about $193,000. Teton Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth about $193,000. Finally, Vivaldi Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter valued at about $213,000. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc is a U.S.-based food company that produces and markets cultured and probiotic dairy products. Its portfolio is centered on kefir, a fermented milk beverage available in a variety of flavors and formats, including low-fat, whole-milk, organic and lactose-free options.

The company also offers drinkable yogurt, sour cream, farmer cheese, cream cheese and other cultured dairy products. Through its Green Valley Creamery brand, Lifeway markets lactose-free organic kefir and related dairy products, while its products are sold through grocery stores, natural and specialty food retailers, club stores, mass merchandise channels and e-commerce platforms.

Lifeway Foods was founded in 1986 by Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky, who helped introduce kefir to a broader U.S.