Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 35,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total value of $1,005,900.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 969,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,871,850.82. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• 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.
• 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 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 value 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 transaction 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 transaction 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 transaction of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 4.5%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $25.82 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market cap of $394.53 million, a P/E ratio of 36.89 and a beta of 0.44. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.31 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.03.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,151,000 after purchasing an additional 53,900 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.8% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,558,000 after purchasing an additional 19,035 shares in the last quarter. Steadtrust LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth $477,000. Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at $193,000. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LWAY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned 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 $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.