Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Shares Acquired by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 37.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 109,700 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 30,100 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in Lifeway Foods were worth $1,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 656.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,010 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 4,348 shares in the last quarter. Bailard Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at about $187,000. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 62.5% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 5,500 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter worth about $303,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 53.6% in the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 37,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 12,981 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Lake Street Capital raised their price target on Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Noble Financial upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total transaction of $133,900.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,932,785.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Lifeway Foods news, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.41, for a total value of $368,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,094,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $38,560,150.02. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total value of $133,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,932,785.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 49,725 shares of company stock valued at $856,338 over the last 90 days. 31.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.08. 101,758 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 144,419. The firm has a market capitalization of $177.66 million, a P/E ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.98, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $13.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $15.08. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $5.91 and a 1 year high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.08). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 22.34%. The business had revenue of $44.63 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.8 EPS for the current year.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream.