Steadtrust LLC Takes $477,000 Position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Steadtrust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 16,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $477,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. Vivaldi Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 33.5% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 214,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,151,000 after acquiring an additional 53,900 shares during the period. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on LWAY. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $31.50 on Monday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $28.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.85. The stock has a market cap of $481.38 million, a PE ratio of 32.47 and a beta of 0.44.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.30. The firm had revenue of $63.01 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 6.54% and a return on equity of 17.76%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total value of $3,011,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,272,002.77. This represents a 16.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 131,871 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.50 per share, with a total value of $3,362,710.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,068,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,743,333. This represents a 6.81% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,006,454 shares of company stock worth $83,246,639. Insiders own 18.58% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Profile

Lifeway Foods, Inc (NASDAQ: LWAY) is a Chicago-based food company specializing in probiotic-rich cultured dairy products. Established in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, the company pioneered the introduction of kefir to the U.S. market. Under the leadership of CEO Julie Smolyansky, who succeeded her father in 2002, Lifeway has grown from a single product operation into a diversified portfolio of fermented foods and beverages aimed at promoting digestive health and wellness.

The company’s flagship product is kefir, a cultured milk beverage naturally rich in probiotics, vitamins and minerals.