Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Short Interest Up 54.9% in April

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 164,800 shares, an increase of 54.9% from the March 31st total of 106,400 shares. Approximately 3.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 96,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on LWAY. Lake Street Capital began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Friday, April 5th. They set a "buy" rating and a $25.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Lifeway Foods from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 6th. Finally, Noble Financial reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total value of $264,092.67. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,364,787 shares in the company, valued at $15,845,177.07. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Lifeway Foods news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 2,559 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.35, for a total transaction of $49,516.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,116,706 shares in the company, valued at $40,958,261.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 22,747 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.61, for a total transaction of $264,092.67. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,364,787 shares in the company, valued at $15,845,177.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 166,481 shares of company stock worth $2,767,532. Insiders own 31.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 656.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 4,348 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company's stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the period. Teton Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth $114,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 12,981 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $187,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company's stock.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 15.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY traded up $3.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $24.87. 364,090 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,423. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.34 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.72 and a beta of 1.33. Lifeway Foods has a 52-week low of $5.61 and a 52-week high of $24.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The business's fifty day moving average is $15.85 and its 200-day moving average is $13.91.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 20th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $42.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 20.92% and a net margin of 7.10%. As a group, analysts forecast that Lifeway Foods will post 1 EPS for the current year.

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.