D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Decreases Stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) by 59.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 38,897 shares of the company's stock after selling 57,545 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.26% of Lifeway Foods worth $965,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 9,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,127 shares of the company's stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,841 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 120,350 shares of the company's stock worth $2,985,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company's stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Lifeway Foods stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Thursday, hitting $22.15. 35,471 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 106,050. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.06 and a fifty-two week high of $27.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $336.75 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.76 and a beta of 0.75.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $46.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.50 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Saturday, May 17th. They set a "hold" rating for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lifeway Foods news, Director Pol Sikar sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.35, for a total value of $67,050.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $533,226.30. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $464,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. This represents a 1.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 119,885 shares of company stock worth $2,747,096. 18.86% of the stock is owned by 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.