Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY Shares Acquired by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 33.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 214,650 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,900 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned about 1.40% of Lifeway Foods worth $4,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $144,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 577.3% during 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 in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 39,098 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.41, for a total value of $1,149,872.18. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,071,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,518,961.69. This trade represents a 3.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 45,616 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.65, for a total transaction of $1,352,514.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 607,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,003,687.55. This trade represents a 6.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,906,454 shares of company stock worth $80,235,639. 18.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on LWAY. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:LWAY opened at $30.48 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.51 and a 200-day moving average of $24.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $465.73 million, a PE ratio of 31.42 and a beta of 0.45. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.31 and a 52 week high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.30. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.The business had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.80 million.

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.