StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a research report released on Thursday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

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

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY opened at $23.00 on Thursday. Lifeway Foods has a fifty-two week low of $9.93 and a fifty-two week high of $28.61. The company’s fifty day moving average is $24.07 and its 200 day moving average is $20.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $340.77 million, a PE ratio of 26.74 and a beta of 1.02.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.49, for a total transaction of $1,057,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,025,549 shares in the company, valued at $24,090,146.01. The trade was a 4.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 451.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 8,658 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 40.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,849 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 1.8% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 115,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,018 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 28.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 53,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 12,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth approximately $679,000. 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.