Divisadero Street Capital Mana Buys 33,174 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 33,174 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.27 per share, for a total transaction of $838,306.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 2,101,540 shares in the company, valued at approximately $53,105,915.80. The trade was a 1.60% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Major shareholders that own at least 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

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

• On Thursday, May 14th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 131,871 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.50 per share, for a total transaction of $3,362,710.50.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $25.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $385.06 million, a P/E ratio of 25.98 and a beta of 0.53. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.31 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $23.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 2.14.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The firm had revenue of $63.01 million for 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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vivaldi Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Teton Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the first quarter valued at approximately $193,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted 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 valued at $4,151,000 after purchasing an additional 53,900 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 747 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 235,710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,558,000 after purchasing an additional 19,035 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LWAY. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

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.