Towerview LLC Reduces Stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Towerview LLC decreased its stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 93.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,500 shares during the quarter. Lifeway Foods makes up 0.1% of Towerview LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Towerview LLC’s holdings in Lifeway Foods were worth $139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,322 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods by 433.3% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth approximately $90,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 70.8% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 1,976 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $22.27 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $23.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $25.77. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.50 and a 1-year high of $34.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.17 million, a PE ratio of 30.51 and a beta of 0.11.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $57.14 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 14.51%.

Insider Activity at Lifeway Foods

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02. Following the transaction, the insider directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 75,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,779,895 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on LWAY shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price objective on Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Benchmark restated a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.