Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

Analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Saturday. The firm set a "hold" rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $22.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $340.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.07 and a beta of 0.75. Lifeway Foods has a 1 year low of $10.06 and a 1 year high of $27.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.04. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%. The firm had revenue of $46.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,075,643.66. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 8,376 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.62, for a total value of $197,841.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 932,447 shares in the company, valued at $22,024,398.14. This represents a 0.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 65,885 shares of company stock valued at $1,553,740. Insiders own 18.86% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth $78,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 5,606 shares of the company's stock worth $139,000 after buying an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company's stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth $211,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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