Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 39,098 Shares

Key Points

• Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 Lifeway Foods shares on July 7 at an average price of $29.41, generating about $1.15 million. After the sale, he still held 1,071,709 shares, reflecting a 3.52% reduction in his ownership.
• Smolyansky has been actively reducing his stake with multiple recent sales in late May and June, including large transactions of 111,548 shares, 50,000 shares, and 38,452 shares. The repeated insider selling stands out as the main trading activity highlighted in the article.
• Lifeway Foods shares were trading higher at $30.91, up 2.0% on the day, and the company remains financially solid with a quick ratio of 1.56 and current ratio of 2.14. Its latest quarterly results beat revenue expectations and matched EPS estimates, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy.

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,071,709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,518,961.69. This represents a 3.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company's stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Monday, July 6th, Edward Smolyansky sold 7,984 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.79, for a total transaction of $237,843.36.
• On Tuesday, June 30th, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.56, for a total transaction of $1,478,000.00.
• On Friday, June 26th, Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total value of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total value of $1,147,792.20.
• On Monday, June 22nd, Edward Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.20, for a total value of $1,310,000.00.
• On Friday, May 15th, Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total transaction of $596,880.00.
• On Thursday, May 14th, Edward Smolyansky sold 25,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.34, for a total transaction of $633,500.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.62 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $30.91. 110,383 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 233,396. The company has a market cap of $472.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $26.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $17.31 and a one year high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.The company had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.80 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on LWAY. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,075,000 after buying an additional 7,718 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company's stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company's stock.

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.

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