StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Investment analysts at StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a note issued to investors on Saturday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $23.85 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.54. The company has a market cap of $353.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73 and a beta of 1.00. Lifeway Foods has a 52 week low of $10.06 and a 52 week high of $28.61.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.12, for a total transaction of $361,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,040,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,098,041.88. The trade was a 1.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. The trade was a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 142,034 shares of company stock worth $3,261,817 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 71.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 5,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 40.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $211,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.