Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Edward Smolyansky Sells 75,000 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 Lifeway Foods shares at an average price of $25.45, generating approximately $1.91 million. His remaining stake is 894,793 shares, representing a 7.73% reduction in ownership.
• Lifeway Foods reported quarterly revenue of $66.89 million, exceeding estimates, but earnings per share of $0.01 missed consensus by $0.25. The stock closed at $25.82, below its 50-day moving average of $29.01.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a $35 average price target, while Weiss Ratings recently downgraded the stock from “buy” to “hold.”

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 75,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.45, for a total value of $1,908,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 894,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,772,481.85. This trade represents a 7.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 Tuesday, July 7th, Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total transaction of $1,149,872.18.
• 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 stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total transaction of $3,263,894.48.
• On Wednesday, June 24th, Edward Smolyansky sold 38,452 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.85, for a total transaction 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 transaction of $1,310,000.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of LWAY stock traded up $1.12 on Friday, hitting $25.82. 435,341 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 134,036. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $34.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.03. The firm has a market cap of $394.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.89 and a beta of 0.44.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.60% and a net margin of 4.48%.The firm had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.40 million.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Lifeway Foods from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $35.00.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at about $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company's stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the 2nd 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 last quarter. 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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