Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

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

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $24.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $375.21 million, a P/E ratio of 28.70 and a beta of 1.00. Lifeway Foods has a 52-week low of $10.06 and a 52-week high of $28.61. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.76.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $46.93 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the insider now owns 1,251,642 shares in the company, valued at $29,075,643.66. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.31, for a total value of $213,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 142,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,261,817. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Beryl Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,607,000. TIG Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,512,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,925,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Lifeway Foods by 712.8% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,132,000 after buying an additional 75,383 shares during the period. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,314,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.