Gabelli Funds LLC Acquires New Holdings in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Gabelli Funds LLC bought a new position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 16,268 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $403,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LWAY. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of 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 period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 5,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 40.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 1,849 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 451.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,576 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 8,658 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can acquired a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods during the 4th quarter worth about $388,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.51, for a total value of $235,100.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 955,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,471,398.73. The trade was a 1.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total value of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. The trade was a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 48,376 shares of company stock valued at $1,110,641 over the last quarter. 18.86% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a “hold” rating for the company.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY opened at $23.72 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $22.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $360.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.58 and a beta of 0.93. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.06 and a 52 week high of $28.61.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, March 14th. The company reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.19). The business had revenue of $46.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.00 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 7.23%.

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.