Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Expected to Earn Q2 2024 Earnings of $0.17 Per Share

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) - Research analysts at Noble Financial decreased their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Lifeway Foods in a report issued on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial analyst J. Gomes now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $0.17 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.25. Noble Financial has a "Market Perform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Lifeway Foods' current full-year earnings is $1.00 per share. Noble Financial also issued estimates for Lifeway Foods' Q3 2024 earnings at $0.20 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $1.23 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on LWAY. StockNews.com cut Lifeway Foods from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. Lake Street Capital upped their price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock traded down $0.78 on Friday, hitting $18.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 274,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 121,241. The company has a market capitalization of $271.11 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 1.31. Lifeway Foods has a 1 year low of $5.75 and a 1 year high of $28.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 2.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $19.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.09.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.08). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 22.34%. The firm had revenue of $44.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $43.00 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. EAM Investors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,353,000. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 62.5% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company's stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 5,500 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at about $143,000. Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $187,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 656.8% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 4,348 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total value of $133,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,229,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,932,785.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total transaction of $133,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,932,785.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Pol Sikar sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.19, for a total value of $171,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,707 shares of the company's stock, valued at $407,523.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 138,734 shares of company stock valued at $2,518,940 over the last 90 days. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.