CenterBook Partners LP Purchases New Position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 37,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,000. CenterBook Partners LP owned approximately 0.25% of Lifeway Foods as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LWAY. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the second quarter valued at $364,000. Towerview LLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Towerview LLC now owns 78,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,935,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at about $246,000. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 55.5% in the 2nd quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. now owns 94,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 33,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 10,049 shares during the period. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LWAY shares. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total transaction of $645,445.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 757,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,506,037.66. The trade was a 3.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 75,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,779,895 over the last three months. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lifeway Foods Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $21.98 on Friday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12-month low of $19.50 and a 12-month high of $34.20. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $22.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.39. The company has a market cap of $334.76 million, a PE ratio of 30.11 and a beta of 0.11.

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.