Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on LWAY. Noble Financial raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $20.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Lake Street Capital upped their target price on Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 15th.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 3.7 %

NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.69 on Friday, hitting $19.26. 81,902 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 148,951. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a current ratio of 2.53. Lifeway Foods has a 52-week low of $9.06 and a 52-week high of $28.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $283.26 million, a P/E ratio of 22.40 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $13.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.27.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The business 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 7.77% and a return on equity of 22.34%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.21 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Lifeway Foods will post 0.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the firm'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 owns 18,104 shares of the company's stock, valued at $336,191.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 14,620 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.30, for a total value of $179,826.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,125,133 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,839,135.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Amy M. Feldman sold 12,948 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,191.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,114 shares of company stock worth $525,145 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 31.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 2,334.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 4,868 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 4,668 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. now owns 246,480 shares of the company's stock worth $4,244,000 after acquiring an additional 11,383 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $187,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.