Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)’s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $18.44 and traded as high as $26.78. Lifeway Foods shares last traded at $26.37, with a volume of 48,010 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LWAY shares. Noble Financial downgraded Lifeway Foods from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 8th.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $390.76 million, a PE ratio of 30.90 and a beta of 1.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $23.51 and its 200-day moving average is $18.52.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now owns 1,085,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,222,482.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Lifeway Foods news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total transaction of $240,444.36. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,104 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $336,191.28. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $89,617.20. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,085,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,222,482.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 38,078 shares of company stock valued at $707,786 over the last ninety days. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 184.0% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 46,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $589,000 after buying an additional 29,922 shares during the period. Cornercap Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $539,000. American Century Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $593,000. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 48.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 100,217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,280,000 after purchasing an additional 32,742 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at $253,000. 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.