Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 26,431 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total transaction of $645,445.02. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 757,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,506,037.66. This trade represents a 3.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, December 10th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.17, for a total transaction of $463,400.00.
• On Monday, December 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total transaction of $353,400.00.
• On Tuesday, December 9th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,569 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.41, for a total transaction of $317,650.29.
• On Wednesday, October 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.44, for a total transaction of $264,400.00.
• On Tuesday, October 7th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.32, for a total value of $131,600.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $23.56. 28,991 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 74,583. The company has a market cap of $358.82 million, a PE ratio of 32.27 and a beta of 0.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.98 and its 200-day moving average is $26.21. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $19.50 and a 52 week high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.05). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 14.51% and a net margin of 5.47%.The company had revenue of $57.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on LWAY shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Benchmark began coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.