Insider Buying: Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Major Shareholder Acquires 15,000 Shares

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $24.69 per share, with a total value of $370,350.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,312,156 shares in the company, valued at $57,087,131.64. The trade was a 0.65% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 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 purchased 35,952 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $24.78 per share, for a total transaction of $890,890.56.
• On Thursday, August 13th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 195,616 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $24.87 per share, with a total value of $4,864,969.92.

Lifeway Foods Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock traded down $1.07 during trading on Monday, reaching $24.75. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 297,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 151,718. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a market cap of $373.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.36 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $29.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LWAY shares. Weiss Ratings lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, June 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.00.

Institutional Trading of Lifeway Foods

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the third quarter worth $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.