Key Points
- Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods on June 30 at an average price of $29.56, totaling about $1.48 million. After the sale, he still owned 852,642 shares, and the transaction reduced his position by 5.54%.
- Smolyansky has been actively trimming his stake with several recent sales, including 111,548 shares on June 26 and 38,452 shares on June 24. These transactions suggest a sustained pattern of insider selling over the past several weeks.
- Lifeway Foods’ stock has been performing near its highs, opening at $30.94 versus a 12-month range of $17.31 to $34.20. The company recently matched earnings expectations and beat revenue estimates, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy.”
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total transaction of $1,478,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 852,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,204,097.52. The trade was a 5.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.
Edward Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was 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 shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $1,310,000.00.
- On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total transaction 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 transaction of $633,500.00.
Lifeway Foods Stock Performance
Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $30.94 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $25.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.46. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $472.76 million, a PE ratio of 31.90 and a beta of 0.45. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.The firm had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $60.80 million.
Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter worth about $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company's stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts recently issued reports on LWAY shares. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.33.
Read Our Latest Research Report 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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