Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Buys $370,350.00 in Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana purchased 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.69 per share, for a total transaction of $370,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 2,312,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,087,131.64. This trade represents a 0.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

Divisadero Street Capital Mana also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 17th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 35,952 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.78 per share, with a total value of $890,890.56.
• On Thursday, August 13th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 195,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $4,864,969.92.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock opened at $25.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.09 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The company has a 50-day moving average of $29.09 and a 200 day moving average of $25.12. The firm has a market cap of $378.35 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.77 and a beta of 0.44. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.31 and a 1 year high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.26 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $66.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 4.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LWAY. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Weiss Ratings cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 293.6% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Company 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.