Wall Street Zen Begins Coverage on Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)

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

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY remained flat at $22.30 on Friday. 30,853 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 108,483. Lifeway Foods has a twelve month low of $10.06 and a twelve month high of $27.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $23.53 and a 200 day moving average of $23.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $339.03 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. This trade represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Pol Sikar sold 3,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.35, for a total transaction of $67,050.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,858 shares in the company, valued at $533,226.30. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 119,885 shares of company stock valued at $2,747,096 in the last quarter. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Beryl Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth $3,607,000. TIG Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,512,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,925,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 712.8% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 75,383 shares during the period. Finally, GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,490,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by 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.