Sagefield Capital LP Takes $211,000 Position in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY)

Sagefield Capital LP bought a new stake in Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000. Sagefield Capital LP owned 0.06% of Lifeway Foods as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Lifeway Foods by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 9,076 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Lifeway Foods by 11.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 7,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Lifeway Foods by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 55,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 868 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 120,350 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,985,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 36.39% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods Stock Performance

Shares of LWAY stock opened at $22.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $23.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $23.31. Lifeway Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.06 and a 52 week high of $27.29. The firm has a market cap of $340.85 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.07 and a beta of 0.75.

Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY) last announced its quarterly 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. Lifeway Foods had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 19.97%. The firm had revenue of $46.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.50 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Lifeway Foods in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, major shareholder Edward Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.23, for a total transaction of $464,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,251,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,075,643.66. The trade was a 1.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.51, for a total value of $235,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 955,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,471,398.73. This trade represents a 1.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 65,885 shares of company stock valued at $1,553,740 over the last three months. Insiders own 18.86% of the company’s stock.

Lifeway Foods 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.