Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Acquires 30,100 Shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its holdings in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 37.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 109,700 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,100 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 0.75% of Lifeway Foods worth $1,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LWAY. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 4,348 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $187,000. Denali Advisors LLC increased its stake in Lifeway Foods by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 14,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at $303,000. Finally, Navellier & Associates Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 12,981 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Noble Financial raised Lifeway Foods from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 8th. Finally, Lake Street Capital raised their price objective on Lifeway Foods from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 3.0 %

LWAY traded up $0.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $12.08. The stock had a trading volume of 101,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 144,419. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $13.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The company has a market capitalization of $177.66 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.05 and a beta of 1.01. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $5.91 and a one year high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 14th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.08). Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 7.77%. The firm had revenue of $44.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $43.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.06 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Lifeway Foods, Inc. will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.78, for a total value of $133,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,229,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,932,785.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 5,000 shares of Lifeway Foods 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 completion of 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 10,105 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.26, for a total value of $174,412.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,084,417 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,977,037.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 49,725 shares of company stock worth $856,338 over the last three months. 31.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lifeway Foods Company Profile

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.