Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a report published on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $23.97 on Tuesday. Lifeway Foods has a 1-year low of $10.06 and a 1-year high of $28.61. The company has a market capitalization of $364.42 million, a PE ratio of 27.87 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50-day moving average of $22.55 and a 200-day moving average of $23.76.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $46.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $464,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.31, for a total transaction of $213,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,343 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $369,579.33. This represents a 36.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,034 shares of company stock worth $1,184,167 in the last ninety days. 18.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Sagefield Capital LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 14,826 shares of the company’s stock valued at $367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Finally, Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,925,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.