Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 2,193 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 2,193 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.50, for a total value of $44,956.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,300,341 shares in the company, valued at $26,656,990.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Large shareholders that own 10% or more of a company’s shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $200,400.00.
• 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 shares were 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 shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value 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 value of $167,310.00.
• On Monday, February 26th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 13,542 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.34, for a total value of $167,108.28.
• On Thursday, February 8th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67.
• On Tuesday, February 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were 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 value of $67,200.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $19.99 on Thursday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $14.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $293.65 million, a P/E ratio of 26.30 and a beta of 1.33. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $5.61 and a 1-year high of $23.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 7.10%. The company had revenue of $42.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew 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 worth $2,319,000 after buying an additional 8,200 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 317,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,257,000 after acquiring an additional 21,732 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,494,000 after acquiring an additional 2,211 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 15.6% in 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 position 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.