Lifeway Foods Inc. filings document the regulatory record for an Illinois operating company whose common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol LWAY. Its Form 8-K reports cover operating results, sales estimates, Regulation FD disclosures, material agreements, director appointments and resignations, and compensatory arrangements under the company's 2022 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
Proxy materials describe annual shareholder meeting matters, board and committee governance, executive compensation and equity-plan administration. The filing record also identifies the company's registered securities, including common stock and preferred stock purchase rights, and includes formal disclosures related to financial reporting, governance changes and capital-structure matters.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. filed an update to its proxy materials related to the upcoming annual shareholder meeting. The company originally proposed seven director nominees and a reduction of the board from eight to seven members after the election.
The board has now decided to keep the board size at eight directors and has nominated Jason Scher for re-election at the June 17, 2026 annual meeting. His election will be voted on separately as Proposal Four for a term lasting until the 2027 annual meeting of shareholders. Shareholders are encouraged to review both the original proxy statement and the new supplement before voting.
LifeWay Foods, Inc. ownership disclosure: Citadel-affiliated entities and Kenneth Griffin report combined beneficial interests in the issuer's common stock totaling 884,776 shares, with related Citadel entities holding 825,000 shares and smaller Citadel affiliates holding additional amounts. The filing states 15,281,888 Shares outstanding as of May 8, 2026.
The schedule lists specific holdings: Citadel Advisors LLC, Citadel Advisors Holdings LP and Citadel GP LLC may each be deemed to beneficially own 825,000 shares (5.4%); Citadel Securities LLC 1,146 shares (0.0%); Citadel Securities Group LP and Citadel Securities GP LLC 59,776 shares (0.4%); and Kenneth Griffin 884,776 shares (5.8%). The filing notes some holdings may include instruments exercisable or convertible into shares.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. reported a major insider transaction by significant shareholder Danone S.A.. Danone executed an open-market sale of 3,454,756 shares of Lifeway common stock at $19.50 per share on May 14, 2026, and its reported Lifeway holdings fell to zero shares after the transaction. This filing shows a complete exit of Danone’s directly held position in Lifeway in a single sale.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. received a Schedule 13D/A Amendment No. 12 from Danone S.A. and its subsidiary Danone USA Public Benefit Corporation. On May 19, 2026, Danone USA PBC completed the sale of its Lifeway common stock holdings, so the reporting persons now beneficially own 0 shares, representing 0% of the common stock. This filing is described as the final amendment to their original Schedule 13D. Danone USA PBC retains voting power only for matters with a record date prior to May 19, 2026.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. investors received an update on major shareholder holdings through this amended Schedule 13D. As of May 19, 2026, Ludmila Smolyansky is reported as beneficial owner of 787,823 shares of common stock, or about 5.2% of the company. Edward Smolyansky is reported as beneficial owner of 2,960,975 shares, or about 19.7%, while the Edward Smolyansky Trust holds 1,233,333 shares, or about 8.2%. Collectively, the filing persons report beneficial ownership of 3,673,798 shares, representing approximately 24.5% of Lifeway’s outstanding common stock, based on 15,025,478 shares outstanding as of that date. The filing also lists several recent open-market sales of shares by an affiliated trust and by Edward Smolyansky in ordinary broker transactions at prices in the mid‑$20 range per share.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. reported that entities associated with Divisadero Street Capital and Divisadero Street Partners made additional open-market purchases of its common stock. A private investment fund managed by Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP bought a total of 165,045 shares across several trades on May 14–15 at weighted-average prices in the mid‑$20s per share, bringing its indirect holdings reported in this filing to just over 2.1 million shares. The filing notes these trades had previously been reported by the fund and its adviser and are now being reported again after the reporting persons received their own CIK codes.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. insider reporting shows that entities associated with William Zolezzi hold 1,936,495 shares of Lifeway common stock, no par value, as of a Form 3 dated May 14, 2026. These shares are owned directly by Divisadero Street Partners, L.P., a private investment fund, and are reported as indirect beneficial ownership by Zolezzi and related general partner entities.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. insider Ludmila Smolyansky, through the Ludmila Smolyansky Trust dated 2/1/05, reported an open-market sale of 20,000 shares of common stock. The weighted average sale price was $24.64 per share, with individual trades between $24.00 and $24.99 per share.
After this transaction, the trust’s indirect holdings reported for Smolyansky totaled 712,823 shares of Lifeway Foods common stock.
Divisadero Street Partners, L.P., a private investment fund, reported open-market purchases of 165,045 shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. common stock. The buys occurred on May 14–15, 2026 at weighted average prices between $22.9794 and $26.3251 per share.
After these transactions, the filing shows 2,101,540 shares of Lifeway Foods common stock indirectly owned. The securities are held directly by Divisadero Street Partners, L.P. and may be deemed indirectly beneficially owned by related Divisadero entities and William Zolezzi, as described in the footnotes.
Divisadero Street Partners, L.P., a private investment fund, reported an existing indirect holding of 1,936,495 shares of Lifeway Foods, Inc. common stock on a Form 3. The fund is managed by Divisadero Street Capital Management, LP, and several related entities may be deemed indirect beneficial owners.