Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky Sells 21,968 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 21,968 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $446,609.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,268,373 shares in the company, valued at $25,786,023.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own 10% or more 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 Thursday, April 25th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,620 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.56, for a total transaction of $78,047.20.
• On Wednesday, April 17th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.04, for a total transaction of $200,400.00.
• 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 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 shares were 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 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.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $21.49 on Friday. 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 $315.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.28 and a beta of 1.33. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $13.79. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.61 and a 1 year high of $23.31.

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

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 656.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 31,813 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $303,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $187,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.