Key Points
- Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 Lifeway Foods shares at an average price of $22.64, generating $679,200. He retained 864,793 shares valued at approximately $19.6 million.
- Lifeway Foods shares opened at $22.21, while the company’s latest quarterly results showed revenue of $66.89 million but earnings per share of $0.01, well below the $0.26 analyst consensus.
- Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $34, although individual ratings ranged from “Sell” to “Strong Buy.”
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total transaction of $679,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 864,793 shares in the company, valued at $19,578,913.52. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% 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 Wednesday, August 12th, Edward Smolyansky sold 35,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.74, for a total transaction of $1,005,900.00.
- 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 transaction of $1,908,750.00.
Lifeway Foods Trading Up 0.7%
Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $22.21 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $24.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.91. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $32.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $335.53 million, a PE ratio of 31.73 and a beta of 0.47.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 4.48%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth about $26,000. R Squared Ltd raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 40.2% during the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,381 shares of the company's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 4,413 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 40.2% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 27,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 7,874 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carlson Capital L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at about $193,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages recently issued reports on LWAY. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. BTIG Research began coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $32.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Lifeway Foods from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $34.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on Lifeway Foods
About Lifeway Foods
(
Get Free Report)
Lifeway Foods, Inc is a food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes cultured and probiotic products. The company is best known for Lifeway Kefir, a fermented, cultured milk beverage available in a range of flavors and formulations, including low-fat, nonfat and lactose-free options.
Its product portfolio also includes ProBugs kefir for children, non-dairy kefir, drinkable yogurt, European-style farmer cheese, sour cream and other cultured dairy products.
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