Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 77,774 Shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAYFree Report) by 167.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 124,294 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 77,774 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC’s holdings in Lifeway Foods were worth $3,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 1st quarter worth about $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana acquired 195,616 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $24.87 per share, with a total value 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 the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.11, for a total transaction of $3,011,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 507,207 shares in the company, valued at $15,272,002.77. The trade was a 16.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 248,568 shares of company stock worth $6,176,730 and have sold 592,698 shares worth $17,070,367. Corporate insiders own 18.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LWAY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on Lifeway Foods in a report on Thursday, August 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $32.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut 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, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lifeway Foods from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lifeway Foods presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $34.00.

Get Our Latest Research Report on LWAY

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $24.61 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market capitalization of $371.86 million, a P/E ratio of 35.16 and a beta of 0.44. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.31 and a 12 month high of $34.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.39 and a 200-day moving average of $25.56.

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

About Lifeway Foods

(Free Report)

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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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY)

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