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

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) in a research note published on Friday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY opened at $20.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $297.21 million, a PE ratio of 23.33 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $22.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.46. Lifeway Foods has a twelve month low of $10.06 and a twelve month high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.19). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 19.97%. The company had revenue of $46.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.00 million.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.12, for a total transaction of $361,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,040,549 shares in the company, valued at $25,098,041.88. This trade represents a 1.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 122,034 shares of company stock worth $2,797,217 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Beryl Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $3,607,000. TIG Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $3,512,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $2,925,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 712.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 75,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter worth $1,314,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.