Key Points
- Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 Lifeway Foods shares at an average price of $28.74, generating $1.01 million and reducing his stake by 3.48% to 969,793 shares. He has also reported several other sales in recent months.
- Lifeway’s latest quarterly results fell short on earnings, with EPS of $0.01 versus the $0.26 consensus estimate, although revenue of $66.89 million exceeded expectations of $61.40 million.
- LWAY opened at $25.82, with a market capitalization of about $394.5 million; analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $35 price target, while some firms recently downgraded the stock.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total transaction of $1,005,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 969,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,871,850.82. This trade represents a 3.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Major shareholders that own 10% or more of a company's stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.
Edward Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, August 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total value of $1,908,750.00.
- On Tuesday, July 7th, Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total value of $1,149,872.18.
- On Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total value of $237,843.36.
- On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total value of $1,478,000.00.
- On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value 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 stock was sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total transaction of $1,310,000.00.
Lifeway Foods Stock Performance
Shares of LWAY opened at $25.82 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $29.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.03. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $34.20. The company has a market capitalization of $394.53 million, a PE ratio of 36.89 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 4.48%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company's stock worth $4,151,000 after acquiring an additional 53,900 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,710 shares of the company's stock worth $4,558,000 after purchasing an additional 19,035 shares during the last quarter. Steadtrust LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $477,000. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at $193,000. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company's stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
LWAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Lifeway Foods from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $35.00.
Read 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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