Stock Analysis
Data Source: SEC EDGAR 13F
Updated Hourly

LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY)

77 + Investors. Track Smart Money conviction in LWAY. See who's accumulating, reducing, or initiating positions.

Current Price
-- USD
Analyst Target
-- (0 analysts)
Upside
0.00%
Net Flow Q/Q
↓ -12
Streak
2Q ▼
Buyers last Q
45%

Smart Money Signals — LWAY

Based on 77 hedge funds · latest filing: 2026 Q1 · updated quarterly

📉

Selling streak — 2 quarters in a row

last 6Q
For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds reduced or closed their LWAY positions than added to them. Sustained institutional selling is a meaningful warning sign — these are professionals with deep research teams collectively deciding to exit.
📊

High ownership — 79% of 3.0Y peak

79% of all-time peak
77 funds currently hold this stock — 79% of the 3.0-year high of 98 funds (reached 2025 Q3). Ownership is elevated but not yet at maximum concentration. Room to grow, but watch if the trend reverses.
📉

Outflows — 5% fewer funds vs a year ago

fund count last 6Q
4 fewer hedge funds hold LWAY compared to a year ago (-5% decline). When institutions consistently reduce their exposure, it's worth exploring the underlying fundamental reasons driving them away.
🟠

More sellers than buyers — 45% buying

37 buying45 selling
Last quarter: 45 funds reduced or exited vs 37 that bought or added. When more than half of active funds are selling, it's a caution flag — especially if the stock price hasn't moved down yet.
⚠️

Fewer new buyers each quarter (-8 vs last Q)

new funds entering per quarter
Funds opening this position for the first time: 11 → 27 → 17 → 9. Each quarter fewer new institutions are entering. This usually means most funds that wanted in are already in — the stock is well-known but the pool of potential new buyers is shrinking.
🔒

47% of holders stayed for 2+ years

■ 47% conviction (2yr+) ■ 30% medium ■ 23% new
36 out of 77 hedge funds have held LWAY for over 2 years without selling. Long-term investors are generally harder to shake out during market stress, creating a stable ownership base that limits the risk of sudden capitulation.
💎

Buying through price weakness — shares +1%, value -19%

Value
-19%
Shares
+1%
Last quarter: funds added +1% more shares while total portfolio value only changed -19%. Institutions were buying while the price was falling — a high-conviction accumulation signal. They're deliberately loading up on the dip.
📊

Peak discovery — momentum slowing

14 → 11 → 27 → 17 → 9 new funds/Q
New funds entering each quarter: 11 → 27 → 17 → 9. LWAY is well-known in the hedge fund world, but fresh entries are gradually declining. The explosive phase of institutional discovery is likely behind us.
🏛️

Deep conviction — 53% of holders stayed 2+ years

■ 53% veterans ■ 21% 1-2yr ■ 26% new
Of 77 current holders: 41 (53%) have held for over 2 years without selling. These are not momentum buyers — they have lived through drawdowns and stayed. A large veteran base acts as a stabilizing force during selloffs.
📋

Smaller funds dominant — 16% AUM from top-100

16% from top-100 AUM funds
27 of 77 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, but together hold only 16% of total institutional value. The stock is held primarily by smaller and mid-sized funds.
2.8
out of 10
Low Exit Risk
Exit risk score 2.8/10 — low institutional crowding. Ownership is below peak levels, holder base is relatively sticky, and buying momentum is positive.

Methodology note: these Smart Money cards use consecutive 13F disclosure snapshots, not trade-by-trade execution data. "Buying", "selling", "new holders", and "trimmed" refer to quarter-over-quarter changes in reported holders, aggregate shares, or disclosed position values between filings. They are useful for ownership regime analysis and crowding, but they do not imply exact trade timing on the filing date.

Institutional Sentiment Summary — LWAY

In 2026 Q1, 37 hedge funds were net buyers of LWAY (9 opened a new position, 28 added to an existing one), while 45 reduced or exited (24 trimmed, 21 sold completely) — a 45% buyer ratio, indicating roughly balanced activity. Net selling has persisted for two consecutive quarters. Net fund flow last quarter: -12 funds (more exits than new entries). Total institutional holders: 77.

Hedge Fund Ownership: LWAY

How many hedge funds hold LWAY — quarterly history vs. share price
Quarterly hedge fund ownership of LWAY vs. share price

Market Analysis: LWAY

Analyst Price Targets

Avg. Price Target
--

Analyst Recommendations

Stock Performance

Real-time

Company Profile: LWAY

-- --

Institutional ownership data sourced from SEC EDGAR Form 13F-HR filings.

Is It Too Late to Buy LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) Based on Hedge Fund 13F Filings?

Signal Freshness measures how much LWAY has moved relative to its sector benchmark (XLP) since the 2026 Q1 13F filing. A stock that has barely outrun its sector is still a relatively fresh entry point — the fund's thesis has not yet been priced in by the broader market.

Since Quarter End March 31, 2026 · 59d ago
LWAY
+22.4%
XLP
+1.7%

LWAY outperformed XLP by +20.7% since March 31, 2026.

Since 13F Filing Date May 15, 2026 · 14d ago
LWAY
-2.1%
XLP
-1.5%

Since the filing became public, LWAY outperformed XLP by -0.6% .

Interpretation: The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference. Learn more →

Smart Money Signal ?
Limited Smart Money Interest

No strong consensus or elite conviction detected among institutional holders.

11 top-rated funds 0 high-conviction
Consensus
4.7
/ 10
breadth
×
Elite
0.4
/ 10
conviction
Hedge Fund Positioning: LWAY
77 + Investors

Track Smart Money conviction in LWAY. See who's accumulating, reducing, or initiating positions.

Metric All 13F Filers (2026 Q1) Prior (2025 Q4) Change
Funds Holding 77 89 -13.48%
13F Shares 5M 5M 1.28%
Total Value $96M $119M -19.0%
New Positions 9 17 -8
Increased Positions 28 31 -3
Closed Positions 21 26 -5
Reduced Positions 24 30 -6
Total Calls 0 0 -
Total Puts 0 0 -
PUT/CALL Ratio 0.0 0.0 Bullish

Statistics: LWAY

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Valuation Measures Data as of: --

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Enterprise Value --
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Forward P/E --
PEG Ratio (5yr expected) --
Price/Sales (ttm) --
Price/Book (mrq) --
Enterprise Value/Revenue --
Enterprise Value/EBITDA --
Beta (5Y Monthly) --
Short Ratio (Days to Cover) --
Short % of Float --

Financial Highlights

Profitability
Profit Margin --
Return on Assets (ttm) --
Return on Equity (ttm) --
Income Statement & Cash Flow
Revenue (ttm) --
Net Income Avi to Common (ttm) --
Diluted EPS (ttm) --
Total Cash (mrq) --
Total Debt/Equity (mrq) --
Levered Free Cash Flow (ttm) --

Institutional Holders (2026 Q1)

77 + investors

Explore institutional interest and hedge fund ownership dynamics. Analyze portfolio weights, new positions, and conviction trends in LWAY. Verified SEC 13F-HR filings.

QUARTER:
Top 25 institutional holders of LWAY — 2026 Q1 · Source: SEC Form 13F
# Investor % of Portfolio Shares Mkt Value
1 Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP 1.14% 1,408,768 $27.2M
2 Slotnik Capital, LLC 0.89% 157,473 $3.0M
3 R Squared Ltd 0.16% 15,381 $297K
4 Byrne Asset Management LLC 0.15% 12,850 $249K
5 Teton Advisors, LLC 0.14% 10,000 $193K
6 De Lisle Partners LLP 0.12% 50,150 $964K
7 GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS, INC. 0.08% 29,451 $570K
8 Carlson Capital, L.P. 0.06% 10,000 $193K
9 Inspire Investing, LLC 0.04% 27,459 $531K
10 Cresset Asset Management, LLC 0.04% 508,232 $9.8M
11 CORSAIR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. 0.04% 14,426 $279K
12 GAMCO INVESTORS, INC. ET AL 0.04% 214,650 $4.2M
13 Vivaldi Capital Management LP 0.03% 11,008 $213K
14 State of Wyoming 0.02% 9,015 $174K
15 RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC 0.01% 368,671 $7.1M
16 TUDOR INVESTMENT CORP ET AL 0.01% 266,398 $5.2M
17 GABELLI FUNDS LLC 0.01% 44,909 $869K
18 Central Pacific Bank - Trust Division 0.00% 2,000 $39K
19 BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.00% 12,500 $242K
20 Abound Wealth Management 0.00% 602 $12K
21 MARSHALL WACE, LLP 0.00% 132,257 $2.6M
22 TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP 0.00% 119,629 $2.3M
23 TWO SIGMA ADVISERS, LP 0.00% 31,600 $766K
24 SHP Wealth Management 0.00% 1,000 $19K
25 Squarepoint Ops LLC 0.00% 46,520 $900K
Investor Ownership
History 		% of Portfolio Prev % Rank Conviction Avg Buy Price 13F Score™ 3Y / 7Y Sell Timing Shares Mkt Value Change Change % Source Quarter Filed

Frequently Asked Questions — LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY)

What does the Smart Money Trend signal show for LWAY?

Selling streak — 2 quarters in a row: For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds reduced or closed their LWAY positions than added to them. Sustained institutional selling is a meaningful warning sign — these are professionals with deep research teams collectively deciding to exit.

What is the institutional breadth score for LWAY?

More sellers than buyers — 45% buying: Last quarter: 45 funds reduced or exited vs 37 that bought or added. When more than half of active funds are selling, it's a caution flag — especially if the stock price hasn't moved down yet.

What is the fund quality score for LWAY holders?

Smaller funds dominant — 16% AUM from top-100: 27 of 77 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, but together hold only 16% of total institutional value. The stock is held primarily by smaller and mid-sized funds.

How long have hedge funds held LWAY?

47% of holders stayed for 2+ years: 36 out of 77 hedge funds have held LWAY for over 2 years without selling. Long-term investors are generally harder to shake out during market stress, creating a stable ownership base that limits the risk of sudden capitulation.

Is it too late to buy LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) following the 2026 Q1 hedge fund 13F filings?

As of today, LWAY has moved -2.1% since the 2026 Q1 13F filing date (May 15, 2026), compared to -1.5% for the XLP sector ETF — an outperformance of -0.6%. Since the quarter end (March 31, 2026), LWAY has gained +22.4% vs +1.7% for XLP. The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference.

Where does this institutional ownership data come from?

All holdings data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings, which institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets are required to submit quarterly. Data is parsed directly from SEC EDGAR.

Disclaimer: The information on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Institutional holdings data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings and reflects positions as of the filing date. Past performance of any fund or portfolio is not indicative of future results. 13Foresight is not a registered investment adviser. Always conduct your own due diligence before making investment decisions.

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