Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Cut to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on LWAY. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on shares of Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, May 30th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $18.62 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $12.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.04. The company has a market capitalization of $273.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65 and a beta of 1.01. Lifeway Foods has a 12-month low of $8.18 and a 12-month high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.08. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 7.77%. The business had revenue of $49.16 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.50 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.21 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Lifeway Foods will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $179,826.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,125,133 shares in the company, valued at $13,839,135.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 10,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total transaction of $174,412.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,084,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,977,037.42. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total value of $179,826.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,125,133 shares in the company, valued at $13,839,135.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at $593,000. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at about $539,000. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth about $432,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 48.5% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 100,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 32,742 shares during the period. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after buying an additional 31,813 shares during the last quarter. 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.