HBK Investments L P Buys Shares of 150,000 Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Key Points

• HBK Investments acquired 150,000 Lifeway Foods shares worth approximately $4.48 million, giving it a 0.99% stake; institutional investors collectively own 36.39% of the company.
• Lifeway Foods reported quarterly revenue of $66.89 million, exceeding estimates, but earnings per share of $0.01 fell well short of the $0.26 consensus forecast.
• The stock recently traded at $24.42, down 0.2%, while analysts maintained an overall “Buy” rating with a consensus price target of $34.00; ratings ranged from “Sell” to “Strong Buy.”

HBK Investments L P bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 150,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,476,000. HBK Investments L P owned about 0.99% of Lifeway Foods at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LWAY. State of Wyoming increased its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 9.0% during the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,015 shares of the company's stock worth $174,000 after buying an additional 747 shares during the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in Lifeway Foods during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 131.2% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,580 shares of the company's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 1,464 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 40.2% in the first quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 15,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 4,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 40.2% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 27,459 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after acquiring an additional 7,874 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company's stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Down 0.2%

LWAY traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $24.42. 100,901 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 116,863. The company has a market cap of $368.99 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.89 and a beta of 0.44. The company's fifty day moving average price is $28.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.62. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a one year low of $17.31 and a one year high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 2.09.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total value of $3,011,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 507,207 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,272,002.77. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana purchased 35,952 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $24.78 per share, for a total transaction of $890,890.56. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 2,348,108 shares in the company, valued at $58,186,116.24. This trade represents a 1.55% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 248,568 shares of company stock valued at $6,176,730 and sold 592,698 shares valued at $17,070,367. 18.58% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Lifeway Foods

Lifeway Foods, Inc is a food and beverage company that develops and markets cultured and fermented dairy products. The company is best known for Lifeway Kefir, a cultured milk smoothie containing live and active probiotic cultures. Its portfolio also includes low-fat and nonfat kefir, organic and plant-based kefir products, ProBugs probiotic beverages for children, and other cultured dairy products such as farmer cheese, sour cream and skyr-style offerings.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Morton Grove, Illinois, Lifeway helped introduce kefir to a broader U.S.

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