Recent Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Lifeway Foods (LWAY)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY) recently:

• 9/8/2024 – Lifeway Foods was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 9/3/2024 – Lifeway Foods had its price target raised by analysts at Noble Financial from $20.00 to $25.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 8/31/2024 – Lifeway Foods was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating.
• 8/23/2024 – Lifeway Foods was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.
• 8/13/2024 – Lifeway Foods was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY traded down $1.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $20.30. The stock had a trading volume of 50,357 shares, compared to its average volume of 147,883. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $14.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.99. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $9.06 and a fifty-two week high of $28.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $300.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60 and a beta of 1.01.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 13th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.21 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $89,617.20. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,085,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,222,482.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Eric A. Hanson sold 5,546 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.91, for a total value of $104,874.86. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 25,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $483,074.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total transaction of $89,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,085,549 shares in the company, valued at $21,222,482.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,698 shares of company stock worth $887,612 in the last ninety days. 31.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter valued at about $303,000. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 12,981 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 235,097 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,153,000 after purchasing an additional 31,813 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 37.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 56.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 58,589 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after buying an additional 21,168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

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.