Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Raised to “Buy” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Thursday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on LWAY. Lake Street Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial reaffirmed a market perform rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $15.48 on Thursday. Lifeway Foods has a 52-week low of $5.76 and a 52-week high of $28.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.53. The company has a market capitalization of $227.71 million, a PE ratio of 18.00 and a beta of 1.31.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.08). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 7.77%. The business had revenue of $44.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $43.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.06 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lifeway Foods will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In related news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 10,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total value of $174,412.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,084,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,977,037.42. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 21,968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.33, for a total transaction of $446,609.44. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,268,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,786,023.09. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 10,105 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total transaction of $174,412.30. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,084,417 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,977,037.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 155,297 shares of company stock valued at $2,894,444 in the last three months. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 656.8% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 4,348 shares during the last quarter. Teton Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $114,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter valued at about $143,000. Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $187,000. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 62.5% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.