Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Downgraded to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Wednesday.

Separately, Noble Financial reissued a market perform rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $19.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.57. Lifeway Foods has a 1-year low of $5.61 and a 1-year high of $19.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $283.96 million, a PE ratio of 25.43 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.30, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02.

Insider Activity at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,347,534 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,291,037.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 3,468 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.44, for a total value of $46,609.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,271,642 shares in the company, valued at $17,090,868.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 3,852 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.80, for a total value of $60,861.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,347,534 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,291,037.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 83,068 shares of company stock valued at $1,046,737 over the last quarter. 31.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 268,069 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,804,000 after purchasing an additional 1,534 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 7,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $99,000 after purchasing an additional 1,821 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 260,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,494,000 after purchasing an additional 2,211 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 14.7% in the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 17,255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 2,212 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 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.