LWAY Stock Analysis: Lifeway Foods | NASDAQ
Packaged Foods | NASDAQ, USA | Market Cap: 455m USD | 12M Return: 18.2% | Charts, Fundamentals & Technical Analysis
Avg Turnover: 4.36M
EPS Trend: 57.5%
Qual. Beats: 1
Rev. Trend: 99.0%
Qual. Beats: 1
Warnings
Tailwinds
Seasonality 10.5 years of data
How good or bad each month usually is (without trend). The score below shows how much you can trust it: 0 = pure chance, >40 gets interesting and >55 is strong.
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY) is a Morton Grove, Illinois-based producer of probiotic dairy products, primarily specializing in drinkable kefir. Its portfolio includes European-style soft cheeses, drinkable yogurts, and butter sold under the Lifeway, Fresh Made, and GlenOaks Farms brands. The company utilizes a multi-channel distribution strategy involving a direct sales force, brokers, and third-party distributors to reach North American consumers.
Operating within the Consumer Staples sector, Lifeway focuses on the functional food market, where products are marketed for specific health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The company employs a vertically integrated manufacturing model for its cultured dairy lines, allowing for control over proprietary probiotic formulas and fermentation processes. Investors may find ValueRay useful for evaluating how these operational fundamentals impact long-term valuation.
Incorporated in 1986, the firm maintains a presence in both organic and conventional categories, catering to shifting consumer preferences for gut-health-oriented beverages. As a small-cap entity in the Packaged Foods & Meats industry, its growth is closely tied to the expansion of probiotic awareness and retail shelf-space acquisition.
- Kefir volume growth drives core revenue and market share expansion
- Raw milk costs and production efficiencies dictate gross margin volatility
- Danone ownership stake and potential acquisition interest impact valuation premium
- Distribution expansion into conventional grocery and mass channels fuels top-line growth
| Net Income: 15.0m TTM > 0 and > 6% of Revenue |
| FCF/TA: -0.17 > 0.02 and ΔFCF/TA -22.35 > 1.0 |
| NWC/Revenue: 9.90% < 20% (prev 16.47%; Δ -6.57% < -1%) |
| CFO/TA 0.13 > 3% & CFO 15.5m > Net Income 15.0m |
| Net Debt (2.44m) to EBITDA (25.1m): 0.10 < 3 |
| Current Ratio: 2.14 > 1.5 & < 3 |
| Outstanding Shares: last quarter (15.6m) vs 12m ago 4.85% < -2% |
| Gross Margin: 28.52% > 18% (prev 25.46%; Δ 3.06% > 0.5%) |
| Asset Turnover: 214.2% > 50% (prev 201.0%; Δ 13.23% > 0%) |
| Interest Coverage Ratio: 160.1 > 6 (EBIT TTM 21.0m / Interest Expense TTM 131k) |
| A: 0.19 (Total Current Assets 42.7m - Total Current Liabilities 20.0m) / Total Assets 120.5m |
| B: 0.77 (Retained Earnings 93.4m / Total Assets 120.5m) |
| C: 0.20 (EBIT TTM 21.0m / Avg Total Assets 107.1m) |
| D: 2.99 (Book Value of Equity 90.3m / Total Liabilities 30.2m) |
| Altman-Z'' = 8.22 = AAA |
| DSRI: 1.13 (Receivables 23.0m/16.7m, Revenue 229.4m/188.3m) |
| GMI: 0.89 (GM 25.46% / 28.52%) |
| AQI: 0.84 (AQ_t 0.16 / AQ_t-1 0.19) |
| SGI: 1.22 (Revenue 229.4m / 188.3m) |
| TATA: -0.00 (NI 15.0m - CFO 15.5m) / TA 120.5m) |
| Beneish M = -2.95 (Cap -4..+1) = A |
As of July 02, 2026, the stock is trading at USD 29.45 with a total of 167,470 shares traded. Over the past week, the price has changed by -1.01%, over one month by +25.69%, over three months by +29.62% and over the past year by +18.23%.
Current recommended Stop Loss: 26.30 (which is 10.7% or 2.4 ATR below the current price).
Lifeway Foods has received a consensus analysts rating of 5.00. Therefore, it is recommended to buy LWAY.
- StrongBuy: 1
- Buy: 0
- Hold: 0
- Sell: 0
- StrongSell: 0
| Analysts Target Price | 34.5 | 17.1% |
P/E Trailing = 30.9896
P/E Forward = 29.9401
P/S = 1.9817
P/B = 5.0335
P/EG = 3.5033
Revenue TTM = 229.4m USD
EBIT TTM = 21.0m USD
EBITDA TTM = 25.1m USD
Long Term Debt = 6.94m USD (from longTermDebt, last quarter)
Short Term Debt = 127k USD (from shortTermDebt, last quarter)
Debt = 8.04m USD (from shortLongTermDebtTotal, last quarter) + Leases 553k
Net Debt = 2.44m USD (calculated: Debt 8.04m - CCE 5.60m)
Enterprise Value = 457.1m USD (454.6m + Debt 8.04m - CCE 5.60m)
Interest Coverage Ratio = 160.1 (Ebit TTM 21.0m / Interest Expense TTM 131k)
EV/FCF = -22.05x (Enterprise Value 457.1m / FCF TTM -20.7m)
FCF Yield = -4.53% (FCF TTM -20.7m / Enterprise Value 457.1m)
FCF Margin = -9.04% (FCF TTM -20.7m / Revenue TTM 229.4m)
Net Margin = 6.54% (Net Income TTM 15.0m / Revenue TTM 229.4m)
Gross Margin = 28.52% ((Revenue TTM 229.4m - Cost of Revenue TTM 164.0m) / Revenue TTM)
Gross Margin QoQ = 27.54% (prev 27.75%)
Tobins Q-Ratio = 3.79 (Enterprise Value 457.1m / Total Assets 120.5m)
Interest Expense / Debt = 1.63% (Interest Expense 131k / Debt 8.04m)
Taxrate = 28.53% (5.98m / 21.0m)
NOPAT = 15.0m (EBIT 21.0m * (1 - 28.53%))
Current Ratio = 2.14 (Total Current Assets 42.7m / Total Current Liabilities 20.0m)
Debt / Equity = 0.09 (Debt 8.04m / totalStockholderEquity, last quarter 90.3m)
Debt / EBITDA = 0.10 (Net Debt 2.44m / EBITDA 25.1m)
Debt / FCF = -0.12 (negative FCF - burning cash) (Net Debt 2.44m / FCF TTM -20.7m)
Total Stockholder Equity = 84.4m (last 4 quarters mean from totalStockholderEquity)
RoA = 14.00% (Net Income 15.0m / Total Assets 120.5m)
RoE = 17.76% (Net Income TTM 15.0m / Total Stockholder Equity 84.4m)
RoCE = 22.96% (EBIT 21.0m / Capital Employed (Equity 84.4m + L.T.Debt 6.94m))
RoIC = 15.77% (NOPAT 15.0m / Invested Capital 95.1m)
WACC = 9.55% (E(454.6m)/V(462.7m) * Re(9.70%) + D(8.04m)/V(462.7m) * Rd(1.63%) * (1-Tc(0.29)))
Discount Rate = 9.70% (= CAPM, Blume Beta Adj.)
Shares (quarterly) Correlation: 56.83 | Cagr: 1.17%
[DCF] Fair Price = unknown (Cash Flow -20.7m)
EPS Correlation: 57.45 | EPS CAGR: 18.56% | SUE: 1.34 | # QB: 1
Revenue Correlation: 98.96 | Revenue CAGR: 15.24% | SUE: 0.88 | # QB: 1
EPS current Quarter (2026-09-30): EPS=0.27 | Chg30d=+12.50% | Revisions=N/A | Analysts=2
EPS current Year (2026-12-31): EPS=1.11 | Chg30d=+9.90% | Revisions=N/A | GrowthEPS=+24.7% | GrowthRev=+18.4%
EPS next Year (2027-12-31): EPS=1.48 | Chg30d=-1.33% | Revisions=N/A | GrowthEPS=+33.3% | GrowthRev=+13.3%