Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a research note issued to investors on Sunday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $24.53 on Friday. Lifeway Foods has a one year low of $10.06 and a one year high of $28.61. The company has a market cap of $372.93 million, a PE ratio of 28.52 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.32 and a 200-day moving average of $23.71.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. This represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.12, for a total transaction of $361,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,040,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,098,041.88. This represents a 1.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 142,034 shares of company stock worth $3,261,817. 18.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Sagefield Capital LP purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 14,826 shares of the company’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,605 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter worth about $221,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,925,000. Finally, Beryl Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,607,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.