Key Points
- Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 70,000 Lifeway Foods shares at an average price of $22.62, for about $1.58 million. The sale reduced his position by 8.09%, leaving him with 794,793 shares.
- Lifeway reported quarterly earnings of $0.01 per share, below analysts’ $0.26 estimate, while revenue of $66.89 million exceeded the $61.40 million consensus.
- Analyst sentiment was broadly positive: MarketBeat reported an average “Buy” rating and a $34 average price target, though ratings ranged from Strong Buy to Hold.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 70,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.62, for a total transaction of $1,583,400.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 794,793 shares in the company, valued at $17,978,217.66. This trade represents a 8.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% 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 Tuesday, October 13th, Edward Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total value of $679,200.00.
- 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 value of $1,005,900.00.
- On Friday, August 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total value of $1,908,750.00.
Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.4%
Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $22.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $335.44 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.86 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The business's 50-day moving average is $23.09 and its 200-day moving average is $24.52. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $32.71.
Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its 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). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 4.48%. The business had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.40 million.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $34.00.
Read Our Latest Research Report on Lifeway Foods
Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth $17,459,000. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at $9,614,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at about $1,711,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 167.2% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,294 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,709,000 after buying an additional 77,774 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBK Investments L P acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at about $4,476,000. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company's stock.
About Lifeway Foods
(
Get Free Report)
Lifeway Foods, Inc is a U.S.-based food company that produces and markets cultured and probiotic dairy products. Its portfolio is centered on kefir, a fermented milk beverage available in a variety of flavors and formats, including low-fat, whole-milk, organic and lactose-free options.
The company also offers drinkable yogurt, sour cream, farmer cheese, cream cheese and other cultured dairy products. Through its Green Valley Creamery brand, Lifeway markets lactose-free organic kefir and related dairy products, while its products are sold through grocery stores, natural and specialty food retailers, club stores, mass merchandise channels and e-commerce platforms.
Lifeway Foods was founded in 1986 by Michael and Ludmila Smolyansky, who helped introduce kefir to a broader U.S.
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