Divisadero Street Capital Mana Buys 131,871 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 131,871 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.50 per share, with a total value of $3,362,710.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own more than 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 Friday, May 15th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 33,174 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $25.27 per share, with a total value of $838,306.98.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

LWAY stock opened at $25.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $385.06 million, a PE ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business has a 50 day moving average of $23.22 and a 200-day moving average of $22.96. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.31 and a 12-month high of $34.20.

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

Key Lifeway Foods News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lifeway Foods this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital made notable purchases of Lifeway Foods shares, including 33,174 shares at $25.27 and a larger 131,871-share buy at $25.50. Insider buying can be viewed as a vote of confidence in the company’s outlook. Insider trading reference
• Neutral Sentiment: Lifeway Foods reported solid first-quarter results last week, meeting EPS expectations at $0.30 and topping revenue estimates with $63.01 million in sales. That keeps the fundamental backdrop constructive for the stock. LWAY stock overview
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares at $24.87 and 25,000 shares at $25.34, while Ludmila Smolyansky also sold 20,000 shares at $24.64. Multiple insider sales may pressure sentiment because they can suggest some shareholders are taking profits. Article on Edward Smolyansky sales

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LWAY. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth about $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.