Insider Buying: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Acquires $50,520.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) CEO Julie Smolyansky purchased 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $25.26 per share, for a total transaction of $50,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,214,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,928,039.70. This trade represents a 0.09% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 0.1%

LWAY stock opened at $25.93 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $34.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $391.72 million, a PE ratio of 37.04 and a beta of 0.44.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.25). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 4.48%.The firm had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.40 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Freedom Capital upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter worth $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: LWAY) is a Chicago-based food company specializing in probiotic-rich cultured dairy products. Established in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the introduction of kefir to the U.S. market. Under the leadership of CEO Julie Smolyansky, who succeeded her father in 2002, Lifeway has grown from a single product operation into a diversified portfolio of fermented foods and beverages aimed at promoting digestive health and wellness.

The company’s flagship product is kefir, a cultured milk beverage naturally rich in probiotics, vitamins and minerals.