Divisadero Street Capital Mana Buys 195,616 Shares of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) Stock

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 195,616 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $4,864,969.92. Following the transaction, the insider owned 2,297,156 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $57,130,269.72. This trade represents a 9.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through 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 Monday, August 17th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 35,952 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.78 per share, with a total value of $890,890.56.
• On Friday, August 14th, Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 15,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.69 per share, with a total value of $370,350.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ LWAY opened at $25.45 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $384.47 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.36 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. 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 business’s fifty day moving average price is $29.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.10.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods during the third quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.