Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY) Short Interest Down 59.1% in May

13 Jun 2026, 23:32 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Lifeway Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:LWAY – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of May. As of May 29th, there was short interest totaling 421,205 shares, a decline of 59.1% from the May 14th total of 1,030,606 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 146,212 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days. Approximately 3.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Lifeway Foods Stock Up 0.3%

LWAY stock traded up $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.07. The stock had a trading volume of 124,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 158,668. The firm has a market cap of $383.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $24.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.07. Lifeway Foods has a 52-week low of $17.31 and a 52-week high of $34.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Lifeway Foods from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Lifeway Foods from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.33.

View Our Latest Research Report on Lifeway Foods

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, major shareholder Ludmila Smolyansky sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.64, for a total transaction of $492,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 712,823 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,563,958.72. The trade was a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Divisadero Street Capital Mana bought 131,871 shares of Lifeway Foods stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.50 per share, for a total transaction of $3,362,710.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider directly owned 2,068,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,743,333. This trade represents a 6.81% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,598,756 shares of company stock valued at $70,654,047 over the last three months. 18.86% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifeway Foods

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LWAY. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Lifeway Foods in the first quarter worth $90,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 8.2% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,068 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 462 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 124,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,075,000 after acquiring an additional 7,718 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 293.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 13,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 10,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Lifeway Foods by 6.8% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 17,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. 36.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lifeway Foods

(Get Free Report)

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.