Lifeway Foods CEO exercises stock awards, covers taxes
Lifeway Foods, Inc. CEO, President and Secretary Julie Smolyansky reported a series of equity compensation events, mainly exercises of performance share units and restricted stock units into common stock on June 16–17, 2026.
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Form Type
4
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Lifeway Foods, Inc. CEO, President and Secretary Julie Smolyansky reported a series of equity compensation events, mainly exercises of performance share units and restricted stock units into common stock on June 16–17, 2026.
She exercised a total of 130,830 share-based awards into common stock and 57,466 shares of common stock were surrendered to the issuer to satisfy tax withholding obligations, with footnotes stating that no stock was sold. Following these transactions, her directly held common stock reported in this filing totaled 2,212,095 shares.
Insider Trade Summary
130,830 shares exercised/converted
Exercise
17 txns
Insider
SMOLYANSKY JULIE
Role
CEO, President and Secretary
| Type | Security | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise | Restricted Stock Units | 6,070 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Restricted Stock Units | 3,397 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Restricted Stock Units | 486 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Restricted Stock Units | 340 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 6,070 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 3,397 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise Price or Tax Liability | Common Stock, no par value | 4,012 | $25.00 | $100K |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 486 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 340 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise Price or Tax Liability | Common Stock, no par value | 239 | $25.00 | $6K |
| Exercise | Restricted Stock Units | 12,111 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Performance Share Units | 108,426 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 12,111 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise | Common Stock, no par value | 108,426 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Exercise Price or Tax Liability | Common Stock, no par value | 53,215 | $24.79 | $1.32M |
| holding | Common Stock, no par value | -- | -- | -- |
| holding | Common Stock, no par value | -- | -- | -- |
Holdings After Transaction:
Restricted Stock Units — 12,862 contracts (Direct);
Restricted Stock Units — 1,163 contracts (Indirect, See footnote);
Performance Share Units — 0 contracts (Direct);
Common Stock, no par value — 2,212,095 shares (Direct);
Common Stock, no par value — 527,925 shares (Indirect, See footnote)
Footnotes (10)
- F1. Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. The restricted stock units vested on June 16, 2026.
- F2. No stock was sold. Such shares were surrendered to the issuer in connection with tax withholding obligations of the Reporting Person and her spouse.
- F3. Held for the benefit of minor children.
- F4. Held by the Reporting Person's spouse.
- F5. Held by Smolyansky Holding LLC of which the reporting person is the beneficial owner of 50%. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein.
- F6. Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. Of such restricted stock units, 6,070 vested on January 10, 2026 and the underlying shares of common stock were delivered on June 17, 2026. The remaining 6,068 restricted stock units will vest on January 10, 2027, contingent on the Reporting Person's continued service on each applicable vesting date.
- F7. Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. Of such restricted stock units, 3,397 vested on March 28, 2026 and the underlying shares of common stock were delivered on June 17, 2026. Of the remaining restricted stock units, 3,397 will vest on March 28, 2027 and 3,397 will vest on March 28, 2028, contingent on the Reporting Person's continued service on each applicable vesting date.
- F8. Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. Of such restricted stock units, 486 vested on January 10, 2026 and the underlying shares of common stock were delivered on June 17, 2026. The remaining 484 restricted stock units will vest on January 10, 2027, contingent on the Reporting Person's spouse's continued service on each applicable vesting date.
- F9. Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. Of such restricted stock units, 340 vested on March 28, 2026 and the underlying shares of common stock were delivered on June 17, 2026. Of the remaining restricted stock units, 340 will vest on March 28, 2027 and 339 will vest on March 28, 2028, contingent on the Reporting Person's spouse's continued service on each applicable vesting date.
- F10. Each such Performance share unit has a value equal to one share of common stock. The performance share units vested on March 6, 2026. The underlying shares of common stock were delivered on June 16, 2026.
Key Figures
Awards exercised: 130,830 shares
Tax-withholding shares: 57,466 shares
Direct common shares after transactions: 2,212,710 shares
+4 more
7 metrics
Awards exercised
130,830 shares
Total share-based awards exercised into common stock per transactionSummary
Tax-withholding shares
57,466 shares
Shares surrendered to issuer for tax withholding obligations
Direct common shares after transactions
2,212,710 shares
Directly held common stock after June 17, 2026 transactions
Performance Share Units exercised
108,426 units
Performance share units converted to common stock on June 16, 2026
RSUs exercised (June 16, 2026)
12,111 units
Restricted Stock Units converted to common stock on June 16, 2026
Tax-withholding price 1
$24.79 per share
Common shares surrendered for tax withholding on June 16, 2026
Tax-withholding price 2
$25.00 per share
Common shares surrendered for tax withholding on June 17, 2026
Key Terms
Restricted Stock Units, Performance share unit, tax withholding obligations, beneficial owner, +1 more
5 terms
Restricted Stock Units financial
"Each restricted stock unit has a value equal to one share of common stock."
Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.
tax withholding obligations financial
"Such shares were surrendered to the issuer in connection with tax withholding obligations of the Reporting Person and her spouse."
beneficial owner financial
"Held by Smolyansky Holding LLC of which the reporting person is the beneficial owner of 50%."
A beneficial owner is the person who ultimately owns or controls a financial asset or property, even if their name isn't directly on official documents. Think of it like someone who secretly holds the keys to a safe deposit box—others may appear to have access, but the true owner is the one who benefits from what's inside. Identifying beneficial owners helps ensure transparency and prevent illegal activities like money laundering or fraud.
beneficial ownership financial
"The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein."
Beneficial ownership means the person or entity that actually enjoys the benefits of owning shares or other assets — such as receiving dividends, voting rights, or price gains — even if the legal title is held in another name. For investors it matters because knowing who truly controls and profits from a company reveals who can influence decisions, exposes potential conflicts of interest or hidden concentration of power, and affects transparency and risk in the stock.
FAQ
AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
What did Lifeway Foods (LWAY) CEO Julie Smolyansky report in this Form 4?
Julie Smolyansky reported exercising equity awards into Lifeway Foods common stock and surrendering shares for tax withholding. The transactions reflect vesting and settlement of performance share units and restricted stock units rather than open-market buying or selling.
What types of equity awards vested for the Lifeway Foods CEO in June 2026?
The Form 4 shows vesting and conversion of performance share units and restricted stock units. Footnotes describe units that vested on March 6, 2026, January 10, 2026 and March 28, 2026, with underlying common shares delivered on June 16–17, 2026.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
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