Key Points
- Ludmila Smolyansky, a major shareholder, sold 10,000 Lifeway shares on March 18 at an average price of $18.74 for $187,400, reducing her stake to 747,823 shares (a 1.32% ownership decrease); she had also sold 26,431 shares on Dec. 23 at $24.42.
- Lifeway reported quarterly EPS of $0.16 on March 17, missing consensus by $0.13 while posting $55.36 million in revenue, with a net margin of 6.52% and ROE of 17.25%.
- The stock trades near $18 with a market cap of roughly $275 million and a P/E of about 19.9, and analysts hold a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $34.33 average target price.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.74, for a total transaction of $187,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 747,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,014,203.02. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
Ludmila Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, December 23rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02.
Lifeway Foods Trading Up 1.3%
Lifeway Foods stock opened at $18.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $274.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89 and a beta of 0.13. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.49 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The stock's 50 day moving average is $21.65 and its 200-day moving average is $24.25.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 17th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.29 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $55.36 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 17.25%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth about $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts have issued reports on LWAY shares. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 target price on Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.33.
View Our Latest Analysis on LWAY
About Lifeway Foods
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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