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

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $23.56 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $22.96 and its 200-day moving average is $23.53. The company has a market capitalization of $358.18 million, a PE ratio of 27.40 and a beta of 0.93. Lifeway Foods has a 12-month low of $10.06 and a 12-month high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 19.97%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 9,561 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.73, for a total transaction of $226,882.53. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 896,262 shares in the company, valued at $21,268,297.26. The trade was a 1.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,075,643.66. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 75,885 shares of company stock valued at $1,766,840 in the last 90 days. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,059 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. Sagefield Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. 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.