Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Short Interest Up 255.8% in May

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,030,606 shares, an increase of 255.8% from the April 30th total of 289,632 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 176,614 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.8 days. Currently, 8.3% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.83. 164,275 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 157,730. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $364.17 million, a PE ratio of 24.57 and a beta of 0.53. Lifeway Foods has a twelve month low of $17.31 and a twelve month high of $34.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $23.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.98.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30. The business had revenue of $63.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $60.80 million. Lifeway Foods had a return on equity of 17.76% and a net margin of 6.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lifeway Foods presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.33.

Insider Transactions at Lifeway Foods

In related news, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana purchased 33,174 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $25.27 per share, with a total value of $838,306.98. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 2,101,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $53,105,915.80. This trade represents a 1.60% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.87, for a total value of $596,880.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,052,642 shares in the company, valued at $26,179,206.54. This trade represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,598,756 shares of company stock worth $70,654,047 in the last 90 days. 18.86% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 577.3% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,551 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,322 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Lifeway Foods in the 2nd quarter valued at $40,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 433.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.