Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Receives Market Perform Rating from Noble Financial

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating restated by equities researchers at Noble Financial in a report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports.

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $17.22 on Wednesday. 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 has a market capitalization of $252.96 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.66 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.60. Lifeway Foods has a 1 year low of $5.61 and a 1 year high of $19.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 3,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total value of $46,609.92. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,271,642 shares in the company, valued at $17,090,868.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total transaction of $67,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,408,328 shares in the company, valued at $18,927,928.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 3,468 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total transaction of $46,609.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,271,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,090,868.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 128,627 shares of company stock worth $1,894,784 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Citigroup Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 656.8% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 4,348 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,421 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 1,821 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at about $91,000. Finally, Teton Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the third quarter worth about $114,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.