Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 2,193 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $44,956.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,300,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,656,990.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• 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 transaction of $200,400.00.
• 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 transaction of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction of $264,092.67.
• On Tuesday, February 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.84, for a total transaction of $118,400.00.
• On Wednesday, January 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total transaction of $67,200.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $19.99. The company had a trading volume of 129,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,987. The stock has a market cap of $293.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 2.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.39. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $5.61 and a 12-month high of $23.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS 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 net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 20.92%. As a group, analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,494,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $194,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 61.0% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 79,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,067,000 after buying an additional 30,145 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.