Towerview LLC Sells 73,500 Shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. $LWAY

Towerview LLC decreased its position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 93.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 73,500 shares during the period. Lifeway Foods makes up 0.1% of Towerview LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Towerview LLC’s holdings in Lifeway Foods were worth $139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 4.2% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 149,550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,686,000 after buying an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 6.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,075,000 after purchasing an additional 7,718 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in Lifeway Foods by 52.6% during the 2nd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 98,644 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,432,000 after buying an additional 33,988 shares during the period. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. raised its stake in Lifeway Foods by 55.5% in the 2nd quarter. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. now owns 94,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 33,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can raised its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 82.1% in the second quarter. Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. Can now owns 31,618 shares of the company’s stock valued at $779,000 after buying an additional 14,251 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lifeway Foods news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 26,431 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.42, for a total value of $645,445.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 757,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,506,037.66. The trade was a 3.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 75,000 shares of company stock worth $1,779,895. Corporate insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LWAY. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a report on Monday, December 29th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $35.00 price target on Lifeway Foods in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NASDAQ LWAY opened at $22.27 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.17 million, a P/E ratio of 30.51 and a beta of 0.11. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.50 and a twelve month high of $34.20.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.05). Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 5.47% and a return on equity of 14.51%. The company had revenue of $57.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.00 million.

Lifeway Foods Company 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.