LIFEWAY FOODS INC LWAY
COM · Common Stock · CUSIP 531914109
American health food company
- SectorConsumer staples
- IndustryDairy Products
- HeadquartersMorton Grove, IL
- Founded1986
- Websitelifewaykefir.com
- FilingsSEC EDGAR
* Summed across managers. Shares that two managers' reports both contain – a subsidiary's holdings that its parent's report includes too, or a sub-adviser's in its client's – are counted once ($3.9k this quarter). Holder counts are more reliable. Shares outstanding: 15.1m as of 2026-08-07, from the company's own SEC filing; the percentage can still exceed 100%: lent-out shares are counted by the lender and the buyer, and some reports overlap without saying so. Implied quarter-end price ≈ $29.82.
Trends to Q2 2026
Institutional holders
Managers reporting a position, each quarter
Numbers
| Quarter | Holders |
|---|---|
| Q3 2022 | 19 |
| Q4 2022 | 23 |
| Q1 2023 | 24 |
| Q2 2023 | 24 |
| Q3 2023 | 41 |
| Q4 2023 | 51 |
| Q1 2024 | 53 |
| Q2 2024 | 63 |
| Q3 2024 | 90 |
| Q4 2024 | 87 |
| Q1 2025 | 83 |
| Q2 2025 | 85 |
| Q3 2025 | 98 |
| Q4 2025 | 89 |
| Q1 2026 | 80 |
| Q2 2026 | 98 |
Buyers vs sellers
Managers adding to or starting a position, vs cutting or selling out
Numbers
| Quarter | Bought or added | Cut or sold out |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | 55 | 30 |
| Q4 2024 | 40 | 48 |
| Q1 2025 | 32 | 46 |
| Q2 2025 | 49 | 24 |
| Q3 2025 | 51 | 41 |
| Q4 2025 | 44 | 55 |
| Q1 2026 | 35 | 45 |
| Q2 2026 | 69 | 26 |
Biggest buyers
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC | Added | +858.2k |
| Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP | Added | +692.8k |
| WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP | New | +585.1k |
| Pillsbury Lake Capital LLC | New | +291.7k |
| AWM Investment Company, Inc. | New | +223.0k |
| FIRST SABREPOINT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP | New | +170.0k |
| HBK INVESTMENTS L P | New | +150.0k |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP | Added | +108.5k |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | Added | +104.7k |
| Squarepoint Ops LLC | Added | +77.8k |
Biggest sellers
| Cresset Asset Management, LLC | Sold out | -508.2k |
| Slotnik Capital, LLC | Sold out | -157.5k |
| TUDOR INVESTMENT CORP ET AL | Reduced | -56.4k |
| GABELLI FUNDS LLC | Reduced | -37.9k |
| GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS, INC. | Sold out | -29.5k |
| R Squared Ltd | Sold out | -15.4k |
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP | Reduced | -13.3k |
| Byrne Asset Management LLC | Sold out | -12.8k |
| DEBUSSY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP | Sold out | -11.0k |
| Point72 Asset Management, L.P. | Sold out | -10.4k |
Major shareholders (over 5%)
Anyone who owns more than 5% of a class of the company's shares has to say so: on Schedule 13D if they may try to influence or control the company, on 13G if they're a passive investor, and update it as the stake changes. Each holder's latest filing, from 19 Dec 2024 on; percentages are of the share class, as the holder worked them out.
| Holder | Stake |
|---|---|
SMOLYANSKY EDWARD
13D · may seek influence
filed 2025-02-06
Stated purposeItem 4 is hereby amended and supplemented by the addition of the following: On February 3, 2025, Ludmila Smolyansky and Edward Smolyansky issued a press release regarding a lawsuit filed against Mr. Smolyansky by Julie Smolyansky, the Chief Executive Officer of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (the "Company") and confirming Mrs. Smolyansky and Mr. Smolyansky's goals with respect to the Company's management and board of directors. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. Full filing |
21.5% |
| SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA 13D · may seek influence -0.3 pts · filed 2026-05-20 | 19.7% |
SMOLYANSKY JULIE
13D · may seek influence
filed 2024-12-23
Stated purposeThe transactions itemized in Item 3 above were compensatory. As a substantial shareholder and executive officer and director of the Company, Ms. Smolyansky expects to communicate from time to time in the future to management, the board of directors and other Company shareholders her views as to matters that she believes will benefit the Company and its shareholders. Full filing |
17.5% |
| Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP 13G · passive investor +4.9 pts · filed 2026-05-18 | 13.8% |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC 13G · passive investor new · filed 2026-05-27 | 5.8% |
Fell to 5% or below in the last year: Danone S.A. (0.0%, 2026-05-20)
Insider purchases and sales since 1 Apr 2026
Shares bought or sold by the company's own officers, directors and 10% owners, in the open market or privately, as they reported to the SEC on Form 4 (due within two business days of the trade). Grants, option exercises, shares withheld for tax and gifts aren't included.
Officers and directors buying vs selling
Number of people, by quarter (10% owners not included)
Numbers
| Quarter | Buying | Bought | Selling | Sold | Sold under a plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — | 3 | $1.8m | — |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q4 2025 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q1 2026 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q2 2026 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q3 2026 | 1 | $50.5k | 0 | — | — |
| Date | Insider | Trade | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-19 | SMOLYANSKY JULIE CEO, President and Secretary, director | Bought | $50.5k2.0k shares |
| 2026-08-17 | Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. +4 10% owner · See footnote | Bought | $890.9k36.0k shares |
| 2026-08-14 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $1.9m75.0k shares |
| 2026-08-14 | Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. +4 10% owner · See footnote | Bought | $370.4k15.0k shares |
| 2026-08-13 | Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. +4 10% owner · See footnote | Bought | $4.9m195.6k shares |
| 2026-08-12 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $1.0m35.0k shares |
| 2026-07-22 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $3.0m100.0k shares |
| 2026-07-15 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $2.1m66.9k shares |
| 2026-07-07 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $1.1m39.1k shares |
| 2026-07-06 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $237.8k8.0k shares |
| 2026-06-30 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $1.5m50.0k shares |
| 2026-06-29 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $438.0k14.5k shares |
| 2026-06-26 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $1.7m55.8k shares |
| 2026-06-26 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $1.6m55.8k shares |
| 2026-06-25 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $1.4m45.6k shares |
| 2026-06-24 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $1.2m40.0k shares |
| 2026-06-24 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $1.1m38.5k shares |
| 2026-06-22 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner · See footnote | Sold | $1.3m50.0k shares |
| 2026-06-10 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $480.4k20.0k shares |
| 2026-05-15 | Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. +1 10% owner · See Footnote | Bought | $838.3k33.2k shares |
| 2026-05-15 | Zolezzi William +2 10% owner · See footnote | Bought | $838.3k33.2k shares |
| 2026-05-15 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $596.8k24.0k shares |
| 2026-05-15 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $492.8k20.0k shares |
| 2026-05-14 | Danone S.A. 10% owner | Sold | $67.4m3.5m shares |
| 2026-05-14 | Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. +1 10% owner · See Footnote | Bought | $3.4m131.9k shares |
| 2026-05-14 | Zolezzi William +2 10% owner · See footnote | Bought | $3.4m131.9k shares |
| 2026-05-14 | SMOLYANSKY EDWARD 10% owner | Sold | $633.5k25.0k shares |
| 2026-04-20 | SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA Member of 10% owner group · See footnote | Sold | $397.5k15.0k shares |
Their holding: how much the trade added to or took from the insider's holding (direct, or the trust or fund named). The same trade is sometimes reported by more than one insider, such as a fund and the director who represents it; totals count it once. A value is left blank where the reported price is far from the market price (usually a typo).
Holders, Q2 2026
| Manager | Shares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP 1.46% of their portfolio | 2.1m $62.7m | Added +692.8k |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 930.1k $27.8m | Added +858.2k |
| WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP 0.00% of their portfolio | 585.1k $17.5m | New |
| RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 377.2k $11.3m | Added +8.5k |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 366.8k $10.9m | Added +104.7k |
| BlackRock, Inc. 0.00% of their portfolio | 322.2k $9.6m | Added +44.4k |
| Pillsbury Lake Capital LLC 2.39% of their portfolio | 291.7k $8.7m | New |
| DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP 0.00% of their portfolio | 258.4k $7.7m | Added +22.7k |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP 0.01% of their portfolio | 228.1k $6.8m | Added +108.5k |
| AWM Investment Company, Inc. 0.58% of their portfolio | 223.0k $6.7m | New |
| GAMCO INVESTORS, INC. ET AL 0.06% of their portfolio | 214.2k $6.4m | Reduced -500 |
| TUDOR INVESTMENT CORP ET AL 0.03% of their portfolio | 210.0k $6.3m | Reduced -56.4k |
| FIRST SABREPOINT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP 2.17% of their portfolio | 170.0k $5.1m | New |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 158.2k $4.7m | Added +22.1k |
| HBK INVESTMENTS L P 0.05% of their portfolio | 150.0k $4.5m | New |
| Squarepoint Ops LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 124.3k $3.7m | Added +77.8k |
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP 0.00% of their portfolio | 118.9k $3.5m | Reduced -13.3k |
| VANGUARD PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 104.6k $3.1m | Added +66.9k |
| STATE STREET CORP 0.00% of their portfolio | 99.8k $3.0m | Added +7.5k |
| JANE STREET GROUP, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 98.5k $2.9m | Added +76.0k |
| UBS Group AG 0.00% of their portfolio | 78.8k $2.4m | Added +66.3k |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 65.9k $2.0m | Added +32.7k |
| Riverwater Partners LLC 0.58% of their portfolio | 65.2k $1.9m | New |
| BOOTHBAY FUND MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.04% of their portfolio | 63.5k $1.9m | New |
| NORTHERN TRUST CORP 0.00% of their portfolio | 61.3k $1.8m | Added +6.6k |
| De Lisle Partners LLP 0.20% of their portfolio | 60.7k $1.8m | Added +10.6k |
| Bank of New York Mellon Corp 0.00% of their portfolio | 57.3k $1.7m | Added +2.0k |
| MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 49.7k $1.5m | Added +35.5k |
| VANGUARD FIDUCIARY TRUST CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 44.0k $1.3m | Added +3.2k |
| Saber Capital Managment, LLC 0.85% of their portfolio | 39.4k $1.2m | New |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 0.00% of their portfolio | 38.2k $1.1m | New |
| LPL Financial LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 37.0k $1.1m | New |
| XTX Topco Ltd 0.01% of their portfolio | 28.1k $839.3k | New |
| Trexquant Investment LP 0.00% of their portfolio | 26.7k $797.1k | New |
| DEUTSCHE BANK AG\ 0.00% of their portfolio | 25.4k $757.5k | Added +21.9k |
| MORGAN STANLEY 0.00% of their portfolio | 24.3k $726.3k | Reduced -5.5k |
| Nuveen, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 24.2k $723.4k | New |
| Man Group plc 0.00% of their portfolio | 23.6k $704.7k | Added +3.6k |
| Inspire Investing, LLC 0.03% of their portfolio | 23.0k $686.2k | Reduced -4.5k |
| TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM OF THE STATE OF KENTUCKY 0.00% of their portfolio | 22.9k $683.0k | New |
| Empirical Finance, LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 19.8k $590.7k | New |
| Walleye Capital LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 17.6k $526.4k | New |
| BRIDGEWAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 17.5k $522.2k | Added +5.0k |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 16.9k $506.3k | Added +8.4k |
| CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 16.3k $485.0k | Added +2.6k |
| Steadtrust LLC 0.24% of their portfolio | 16.0k $477.4k | New |
| Diametric Capital, LP 0.05% of their portfolio | 14.6k $436.1k | New |
| CORSAIR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.P. 0.05% of their portfolio | 14.4k $430.5k | Unchanged |
| Vident Advisory, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 14.2k $424.3k | New |
| AMERICAN CENTURY COMPANIES INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 14.0k $417.4k | Added +1.6k |
| Jump Financial, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 12.7k $377.9k | New |
| ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN L.P. 0.00% of their portfolio | 12.4k $240.8k | Added +3.2k |
| Teton Advisors, LLC 0.21% of their portfolio | 12.0k $358.1k | Added +2.0k |
| GABELLI FUNDS LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 7.0k $208.9k | Reduced -37.9k |
| Crewe Advisors LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 7.0k $208.9k | New |
| RHUMBLINE ADVISERS 0.00% of their portfolio | 6.3k $189.2k | Added +310 |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY/MN 0.00% of their portfolio | 5.9k $177.5k | Added +3.3k |
| MetLife Investment Management, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 3.3k $98.9k | New |
| CITIGROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 3.0k $90.5k | Added +2.4k |
| State of Alaska, Department of Revenue 0.00% of their portfolio | 3.0k $88.0k | Unchanged |
| FMR LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 2.9k $85.9k | Added +112 |
| MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 2.6k $78.3k | Added +190 |
| Vanguard Global Advisers, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 2.2k $66.0k | Unchanged |
| Central Pacific Bank - Trust Division 0.01% of their portfolio | 2.0k $59.7k | Unchanged |
| Police & Firemen's Retirement System of New Jersey 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.7k $50.0k | Unchanged |
| Russell Investments Group, Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.6k $48.2k | Added +902 |
| NEW YORK STATE COMMON RETIREMENT FUND 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.6k $47.7k | Unchanged |
| BARCLAYS PLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.0k $30.5k | Added +65 |
| BNP PARIBAS FINANCIAL MARKETS 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.0k $30.1k | Reduced -6.3k |
| PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.0k $29.8k | Unchanged |
| SHP Wealth Management 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.0k $29.8k | Unchanged |
| Persistent Asset Partners Ltd 0.01% of their portfolio | 878 $26.2k | New |
| Larson Financial Group LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 852 $25.4k | New |
| Legal & General Group Plc 0.00% of their portfolio | 631 $18.8k | Added +165 |
| Tower Research Capital LLC (TRC) 0.00% of their portfolio | 618 $18.4k | Reduced -755 |
| Abound Wealth Management 0.00% of their portfolio | 602 $18.0k | Unchanged |
| SBI Securities Co., Ltd. 0.00% of their portfolio | 543 $16.2k | Added +42 |
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA 0.00% of their portfolio | 489 $14.0k | Added +83 |
| Ameritas Investment Partners, Inc. 0.00% of their portfolio | 441 $13.2k | Unchanged |
| OSAIC HOLDINGS, INC. 0.00% of their portfolio | 435 $13.0k | Unchanged |
| UBS AM, a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 130 $3.9k | Unchanged |
| NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL WEALTH MANAGEMENT CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 100 $3.0k | Unchanged |
| CALIFORNIA STATE TEACHERS RETIREMENT SYSTEM 0.00% of their portfolio | 72 $2.1k | Reduced -206 |
| Covestor Ltd 0.00% of their portfolio | 35 $1.0k | Reduced -1 |
| RAFFA WEALTH MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 34 $1.0k | New |
| NISA INVESTMENT ADVISORS, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 28 $836 | Unchanged |
| Quarry LP 0.00% of their portfolio | 27 $806 | New |
| Sterling Capital Management LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 20 $597 | Reduced -13 |
| GAMMA Investing LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 20 $597 | New |
| Caitong International Asset Management Co., Ltd 0.00% of their portfolio | 19 $567 | New |
| Clearstead Advisors, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 14 $418 | Unchanged |
| Arax Advisory Partners 0.00% of their portfolio | 8 $239 | New |
| Optiver Holding B.V. 0.00% of their portfolio | 6 $179 | Reduced -48 |
| Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 4 $119 | New |
| HUNTINGTON NATIONAL BANK 0.00% of their portfolio | 1 $30 | Unchanged |
| True Wealth Design, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 1 $30 | New |
| Farther Finance Advisors, LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 1 $30 | Reduced -280 |
| MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust, FSB 0.00% of their portfolio | 0 $0 | New |