Bank of Montreal Can Invests $388,000 in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Bank of Montreal Can purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,000. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.11% of Lifeway Foods as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 115,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,006,000 after purchasing an additional 2,018 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 712.8% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,959 shares of the company's stock worth $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 75,383 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 27.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 69,302 shares of the company's stock worth $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 15,046 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,841 shares of the company's stock worth $1,385,000 after acquiring an additional 868 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Lifeway Foods by 28.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 53,683 shares of the company's stock worth $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 12,020 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company's stock.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

NASDAQ:LWAY traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $23.21. The stock had a trading volume of 26,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 124,969. The stock has a market cap of $352.86 million, a P/E ratio of 26.99 and a beta of 0.93. The business's 50 day moving average is $22.80 and its 200 day moving average is $23.56. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.06 and a fifty-two week high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $46.93 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 19.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In other news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. The trade was a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 17,948 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.92, for a total transaction of $429,316.16. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 905,823 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,667,286.16. The trade was a 1.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 66,324 shares of company stock worth $1,539,957 over the last ninety days. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. They set a "hold" rating for the company.

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.