Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 10,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $200,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,290,341 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,858,433.64. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Ludmila Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, April 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total transaction of $44,956.50.
• On Friday, April 5th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.56, for a total transaction of $97,800.00.
• On Monday, April 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.40, for a total transaction of $102,000.00.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.71, for a total transaction of $243,230.00.
• On Friday, March 22nd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total transaction of $60,861.60.
• On Wednesday, March 20th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.87, for a total transaction of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total transaction of $167,108.28.
• On Thursday, February 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total transaction of $264,092.67.
• On Tuesday, February 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.84, for a total transaction of $118,400.00.
• On Wednesday, January 24th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total transaction of $67,200.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $19.99. The company had a trading volume of 129,001 shares, compared to its average volume of 85,987. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $14.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.39. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The stock has a market cap of $293.65 million, a P/E ratio of 26.30 and a beta of 1.33. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $5.61 and a 52-week high of $23.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $42.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.10% and a return on equity of 20.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 2.2% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 383,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,319,000 after purchasing an additional 8,200 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 317,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,257,000 after purchasing an additional 21,732 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,494,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 31,813 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EAM Investors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at about $1,353,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LWAY shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 6th. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Friday, April 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Noble Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, March 27th.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.