Rhumbline Advisers Has $148,000 Stock Position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) by 8.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,068 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 462 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Lifeway Foods were worth $148,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Beryl Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lifeway Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,607,000. TIG Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,512,000. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,925,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Lifeway Foods by 712.8% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 85,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,132,000 after acquiring an additional 75,383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Slotnik Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifeway Foods in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,314,000. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 955,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,471,398.73. This represents a 1.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Julie Smolyansky sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.07, for a total transaction of $1,103,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,132,483 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,063,899.81. This represents a 2.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 99,885 shares of company stock valued at $2,282,496 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen assumed coverage on shares of Lifeway Foods in a research note on Saturday, May 17th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company.

Lifeway Foods Price Performance

LWAY stock opened at $24.08 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $23.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $366.09 million, a PE ratio of 36.49 and a beta of 0.74. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $10.06 and a fifty-two week high of $27.29.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 13th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.19 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $46.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $48.50 million. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 5.39% and a return on equity of 14.20%.

About Lifeway Foods

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.