Lifeway Foods Inc.
Lifeway was founded in 1986 by Michael Smolyansky, ten years after he and his family emigrated from Eastern Europe to the United States. Lifeway was the first to successfully introduce kefir to the U.S. consumer on a commercial scale, initially catering to ethnic consumers in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area.
$22.18
-$0.24 (-1.07%)
EOD Oct 21, 2026
Operating margin is thin at 7.61%. Limited cushion if revenue slows or costs rise, not the profile of a wide-moat business.
Revenue grew 13.7%, still solid. Free cash flow declined 362% despite revenue growth, conversion is weakening.
At 32x earnings, the current multiple leaves limited room for execution misses or growth deceleration. Free cash flow declined 362% versus the prior year, cash generation momentum has weakened.
32.1x earnings. Not cheap, the quality is already reflected in the price. Upside from here requires either margin expansion or growth re-acceleration, not just continuation.
Price History
Valuation & Multiples
Based on TTM earnings · Diluted shares
Profitability & Returns
Revenue (TTM)
$242M
▲ +13.7% YoY
Net Income (TTM)
$11M
▲ +53.6% YoY
Op. Margin
6.49%
▲ +0.2pp YoY
ROIC
12.89%
Cash Flow & Balance Sheet
FCF (TTM)
-$31M
▼ -362.0% YoY
Op. Cash Flow (TTM)
$11M
▼ -15.5% YoY
Net Debt
-$7M
Net Cash Position
Cash & Equiv.
$7M
5Y CAGR: +15.8%
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SourceComputed from the 10-Q filed 7 Aug 2026, covering the period ending 30 Jun 2026, as reported to the SEC. Data last refreshed 28 Sept 2026. How this is calculated.
Price from market data, last close as of 21 Oct 2026. Fiscal year ends Dec. Sector medians are approximate S&P 500 benchmarks and update periodically.
Is Lifeway Foods (LWAY) overvalued?
At a P/E of 32.1, Lifeway Foods (LWAY)'s valuation is best read against its own history, its peers, and the growth its price implies. A high multiple is not the same as overvalued: fast-growing, high-quality businesses can deserve a premium. See the general approach in how to tell if a stock is overvalued.
On quality, Lifeway Foods scores 60/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality scorecard (a solid business on these measures), weighing growth, margins, returns on capital, share count, and balance-sheet strength. All figures are computed from SEC filings; read the full methodology, or see how the market compares in our US profitability statistics. This is analysis, not investment advice.
Frequently asked
Is Lifeway Foods a high-quality business?+
Lifeway Foods scores 60 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 7 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which makes it a solid business on these measures. Recent fundamentals include a 6.5% operating margin and a 12.9% return on invested capital. The score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, share-count change, and balance-sheet strength, all computed from SEC filings, not opinion. Because valuation only means something relative to quality, the full metric-by-metric breakdown is on the quality scorecard.
Is Lifeway Foods a good stock to buy right now?+
That depends on valuation and quality together, not either alone. you should weigh LWAY's valuation and scores 60/100 on quality (solid). A cheap price is only a bargain if the business is durable, and a premium can be justified by genuine quality, so the two questions, "is it cheap?" and "is it good?", only make sense side by side. Read the valuation against the quality scorecard, run the DCF on your own assumptions, and decide for yourself. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.
Related stocks: Dairy Products
Spot a number that looks wrong? Check it in LWAY's SEC filings or
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and third-party price providers. Scores, valuations, and metrics are algorithmic estimates. This is not investment advice. See our Terms and Methodology.
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