Insider Selling: Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Sells 12,034 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 12,034 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.55, for a total transaction of $271,366.70. Following the sale, the insider now owns 965,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,779,308.65. This represents a 1.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Ludmila Smolyansky also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, January 15th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.67, for a total value of $226,700.00.
• On Monday, January 13th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 30,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.24, for a total value of $667,200.00.
• On Monday, January 6th, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.49, for a total value of $1,057,050.00.
• On Friday, January 3rd, Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.12, for a total transaction of $361,800.00.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock opened at $22.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $332.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.10 and a beta of 1.02. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.09. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.93 and a 52-week high of $28.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LWAY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Noble Financial cut shares of Lifeway Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 7.1% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 454,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,806,000 after acquiring an additional 30,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 115,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,018 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 48.5% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 100,217 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,280,000 after buying an additional 32,742 shares during the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP lifted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 30.7% in the third quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 59,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,552,000 after buying an additional 14,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 56.6% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after buying an additional 21,168 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.