Divisadero Street Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Key Points

• Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new stake of 630,183 shares in Lifeway Foods during Q3, valued at about $17.49 million and representing 4.14% ownership.
• Other institutions boosted positions—notably Lazard (+667.2%) and Two Sigma (+260.4%)—and institutional investors now hold about 36.39% of the company.
• Lifeway trades near $20.91 with a market cap of ~$318.5M and a P/E of 28.6; analysts have an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.33.

Divisadero Street Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 630,183 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,494,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP owned 4.14% of Lifeway Foods as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 4.8% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 27,241 shares of the company's stock worth $756,000 after purchasing an additional 1,245 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 9,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 667.2% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 26,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $749,000 after buying an additional 23,471 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 260.4% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,311 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,812,000 after buying an additional 73,203 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $443,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.39% of the company's stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Lifeway Foods stock opened at $20.91 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $21.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.49. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.50 and a 1 year high of $34.20. The company has a market capitalization of $318.46 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.64 and a beta of 0.13.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LWAY has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price target on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Lifeway Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02. Following the sale, the insider owned 757,823 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,506,037.66. The trade was a 3.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company's stock.

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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