Key Points
- Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods at an average price of $26.20, totaling about $1.31 million. After the sale, he still owned 1.18 million shares, and the trade reduced his position by 4.05%.
- Lifeway Foods recently reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.30 in line with estimates and revenue of $63.01 million, which came in above analyst expectations.
- Wall Street sentiment remains moderately positive, with two Buy ratings and one Hold rating on the stock and a consensus target price of $34.33. The shares last traded around $26.43, below that target.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,183,333 shares in the company, valued at $31,003,324.60. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.
Edward Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00.
- On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total value of $633,500.00.
Lifeway Foods Price Performance
NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $26.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $403.85 million, a PE ratio of 27.25 and a beta of 0.48. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. The firm had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.33.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Lifeway Foods
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth about $40,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
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.
Featured Stories

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].