AWM Investment Company Inc. Takes Position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

AWM Investment Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 223,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,654,000. AWM Investment Company Inc. owned about 1.46% of Lifeway Foods as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the third quarter worth about $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted 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 period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the second quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the first quarter valued at approximately $90,000. 36.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Lifeway Foods

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 195,616 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $24.87 per share, for a total transaction of $4,864,969.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,297,156 shares of the company's stock, valued at $57,130,269.72. This trade represents a 9.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 111,548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.26, for a total transaction of $3,263,894.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 902,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $26,411,304.92. This trade represents a 11.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 248,568 shares of company stock worth $6,176,730 and have sold 592,698 shares worth $17,070,367. 18.58% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on LWAY shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $34.00.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $26.16 on Wednesday. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $17.31 and a fifty-two week high of $34.20. The stock has a market cap of $395.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.37 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.09. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $29.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.24.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.26 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $66.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $61.40 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.66%.

Lifeway Foods 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.

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