Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Sunday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on LWAY. Noble Financial raised their target price on Lifeway Foods from $20.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 6.1 %

LWAY stock opened at $21.80 on Friday. Lifeway Foods has a one year low of $9.06 and a one year high of $28.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $14.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $322.42 million, a PE ratio of 25.79 and a beta of 1.01.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.08. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.69% and a return on equity of 21.92%. The business had revenue of $49.16 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.21 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lifeway Foods will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total value of $179,826.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,125,133 shares in the company, valued at $13,839,135.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total transaction of $179,826.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,125,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,839,135.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eric A. Hanson sold 5,546 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 25,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $483,074.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,698 shares of company stock valued at $887,612 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth about $303,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the 4th quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 12,981 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 31,813 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 37.8% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 109,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 30,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 56.6% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 21,168 shares during the period. 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.