Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana Buys 15,000 Shares of Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.69 per share, for a total transaction of $370,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 2,312,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,087,131.64. The trade was a 0.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s shares 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 stock was acquired 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, with a total value of $4,864,969.92.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $24.75 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $29.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.09. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.31 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $373.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.36 and a beta of 0.44.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LWAY. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

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

About Lifeway Foods

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.