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

Research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a report released on Thursday. The brokerage set a “hold” rating on the stock.

Separately, Noble Financial cut shares of Lifeway Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ LWAY traded down $1.00 on Thursday, reaching $22.39. The company had a trading volume of 207,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,659. The firm has a market cap of $331.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.88 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50 day moving average of $24.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.86. Lifeway Foods has a fifty-two week low of $9.93 and a fifty-two week high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.08. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 21.92%. The company 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 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Lifeway Foods will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lifeway Foods news, CFO Eric A. Hanson sold 5,546 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.91, for a total transaction of $104,874.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 25,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,074.86. This trade represents a 17.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $89,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,085,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,222,482.95. The trade was a 0.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,078 shares of company stock valued at $707,786. Insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Covestor Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 2,334.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,868 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 4,668 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 71.2% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth approximately $82,000. Finally, Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth approximately $212,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.