Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Lowered to Market Perform at Noble Financial

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) was downgraded by research analysts at Noble Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Briefing.com reports.

Separately, StockNews.com cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, September 8th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $21.50 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $316.20 million, a PE ratio of 25.00 and a beta of 1.02. Lifeway Foods has a 52 week low of $9.06 and a 52 week high of $28.61. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.67.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total transaction of $240,444.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares in the company, valued at $336,191.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 4,584 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.55, for a total value of $89,617.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,085,549 shares in the company, valued at $21,222,482.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.57, for a total transaction of $240,444.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,104 shares in the company, valued at $336,191.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 52,698 shares of company stock worth $887,612 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 31.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 2,334.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 4,668 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Bailard Inc. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at approximately $432,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.