Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Sells $368,200.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.41, for a total transaction of $368,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,094,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,560,150.02. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

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

• On Monday, May 20th, Julie Smolyansky sold 10,105 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total transaction of $174,412.30.
• On Wednesday, March 27th, Julie Smolyansky sold 2,559 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total transaction of $49,516.65.
• On Monday, March 25th, Julie Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total transaction of $172,300.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $15.15 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $5.76 and a 12-month high of $28.61. The company has a market capitalization of $222.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $19.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.28.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.08). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 7.77%. The firm had revenue of $44.63 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.06 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LWAY has been the topic of several recent research reports. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on shares of Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, March 27th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $405,000. Teton Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $114,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 64.9% in the 3rd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 49,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 19,455 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $250,000. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth about $143,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.