Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Lifeway Foods share price has surpassed its 200-day moving average, trading at $27.26 recently, with a high of $28.28 during the session.
• Analysts have updated their ratings on Lifeway Foods, with one upgrade to a "buy" rating and an average target price raised to $33.00.
• Recent insider transactions include significant sales from major shareholders, with Edward Smolyansky selling 83,643 shares and Ludmila Smolyansky selling 10,000 shares, indicating a 6.77% and 1.19% decrease in their holdings, respectively.

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $25.94 and traded as high as $28.28. Lifeway Foods shares last traded at $27.26, with a volume of 147,515 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LWAY has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Lake Street Capital lifted their target price on Lifeway Foods from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.00.

Lifeway Foods Trading Down 1.2%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.94. The company has a market capitalization of $415.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.51 and a beta of 0.46.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 12th. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $53.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $54.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 14.32% and a net margin of 5.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 83,643 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.91, for a total transaction of $2,167,190.13. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,151,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,839,044.22. This trade represents a 6.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.44, for a total transaction of $264,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 832,823 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,019,840.12. The trade was a 1.19% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,000 shares of company stock worth $2,998,741. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth $49,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company's stock.

About Lifeway Foods

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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