Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 15,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.19, for a total value of $272,850.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,110,133 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,193,319.27. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Tuesday, September 3rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $89,617.20.
• On Wednesday, July 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $179,826.00.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 4.7 %

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $20.09 on Wednesday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $9.06 and a 52 week high of $28.61. The stock has a market cap of $295.46 million, a PE ratio of 23.36 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.70.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $49.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.50 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 21.92%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.21 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on LWAY shares. Lake Street Capital raised their target price on shares of Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial raised their price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at $253,000. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $303,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after buying an additional 31,813 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 37.8% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 109,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,889,000 after buying an additional 30,100 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lifeway Foods

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.