Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $18.23 and traded as high as $26.66. Lifeway Foods shares last traded at $26.40, with a volume of 67,569 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on LWAY shares. Noble Financial cut shares of Lifeway Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, September 8th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $388.26 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.70 and a beta of 1.04. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.25 and a 200 day moving average of $18.23.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.08. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 21.92%. The firm had revenue of $49.16 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.21 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total value of $240,444.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $336,191.28. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $89,617.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,085,549 shares in the company, valued at $21,222,482.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total transaction of $240,444.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,191.28. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,698 shares of company stock valued at $887,612. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 246,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,244,000 after buying an additional 11,383 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 37.8% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 109,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after acquiring an additional 30,100 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 56.6% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after acquiring an additional 21,168 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth approximately $253,000. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth approximately $267,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.