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Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY)

Consumer Defensive | Packaged Foods | Morton Grove, United States | NasdaqGM
26.35 USD +0.22 (0.842%) ⇧ (Aug. 28, 2026, 4 p.m. EDT)
After hours: 26.35

Short-term:★★★⯪☆Long-term:★★★☆☆Dividends:☆☆☆☆☆
Hot Take | Aug. 22, 2026, 3:32 a.m. EDT

The immediate catalyst here is the massive disconnect between the company's deteriorating operational reality and the market's aggressive re-rating. While the business is bleeding cash with nearly $32 million in free cash flow burn and earnings collapsing by 97%, the stock has rallied 193% over the last nine years, driven entirely by a recent surge in revenue growth. This momentum has pushed the price above its 200-day moving average, creating a self-reinforcing cycle where the market ignores the negative earnings trend in favor of the top-line expansion. However, the fundamental picture is precarious. The company is burning cash, has a high debt-to-equity ratio relative to its size, and is facing significant insider selling as executives liquidate positions. The recent secondary public offering further dilutes existing shareholders. While the long-term rating remains solid due to the exceptional multi-year price trajectory and recent revenue acceleration, the short-term outlook is volatile. The options market confirms this sentiment, with speculators betting heavily on a continued rally despite the lack of earnings support. This is a high-risk, high-reward scenario dependent on the continuation of revenue growth to mask the cash burn, making it a speculative hold rather than a core investment.

Model Selection — Backtest MAE (log-scale, lower is better)
ModelMAE
AutoTheta ✓0.062529
AutoETS0.062568
AutoARIMA0.064027
MSTL0.066233

Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: AutoTheta

Forecast Reliability
Score 36%
H-stat 16.45
Ljung-Box p 0.000
Jarque-Bera p 0.051
Excess Kurtosis -0.78
Attribute Value
Sector Consumer Defensive
Ex Dividend Date 2013-05-28
Last Dividend Date 2013-05-28
Debt to Equity Ratio 26.564
Revenue per Share 15.928
Market Cap 398,062,784
Trailing P/E 38.19
Forward P/E 19.52
Beta 0.46
Profit Margins 4.49%
Website https://lifewaykefir.com

As of Aug. 22, 2026, 3:32 a.m. EDT: Speculators are overwhelmingly bullish, positioning heavy call volume and open interest at strikes significantly above the current price ($30, $35, $45), while put activity is negligible. Implied volatility is elevated for out-of-the-money calls, suggesting a bet on a substantial upside move rather than downside protection.


Dividend Data

Dividend History
Date Dividend Yield %
2013-05-29 0.08 0.471976
2012-05-25 0.07 0.702811
Additional Data
exDividendDate 2013-05-29
trailingAnnualDividendRate 0.0
trailingAnnualDividendYield 0.0
lastDividendValue 0.08
lastDividendDate 2013-05-29
dividendDate 2013-06-28

Info Dump

Attribute Value
52 Week Change -0.11488074
Address1 6,431 West Oakton Street
All Time High 34.2
All Time Low 0.234375
Ask 38.38
Ask Size 2
Audit Risk 8
Average Analyst Rating 1.0 - Strong Buy
Average Daily Volume10 Day 158,060
Average Daily Volume3 Month 179,923
Average Volume 179,923
Average Volume10Days 158,060
Beta 0.461
Bid 20.95
Bid Size 2
Board Risk 4
Book Value 5.599
City Morton Grove
Compensation As Of Epoch Date 1,767,139,200
Compensation Risk 4
Country United States
Crypto Tradeable 0
Currency USD
Current Price 26.35
Current Ratio 2.094
Custom Price Alert Confidence HIGH
Date Short Interest 1,786,665,600
Day High 26.53
Day Low 26.085
Debt To Equity 26.564
Display Name Lifeway Foods
Dividend Date 1,372,377,600
Earnings Call Timestamp End 1,786,626,000
Earnings Call Timestamp Start 1,786,626,000
Earnings Growth -0.97
Earnings Quarterly Growth -0.97
Earnings Timestamp 1,786,624,200
Earnings Timestamp End 1,794,486,600
Earnings Timestamp Start 1,794,486,600
Ebitda 20,002,000
Ebitda Margins 0.08251
Enterprise To Ebitda 20.67
Enterprise To Revenue 1.706
Enterprise Value 413,441,792
Eps Current Year 0.5
Eps Forward 1.35
Eps Trailing Twelve Months 0.69
Esg Populated 0
Ex Dividend Date 1,369,785,600
Exchange NGM
Exchange Data Delayed By 0
Exchange Timezone Name America/New_York
Exchange Timezone Short Name EDT
Fax 847 967 6558
Fifty Day Average 29.135
Fifty Day Average Change -2.7849998
Fifty Day Average Change Percent -0.09558949
Fifty Two Week Change Percent -11.488074
Fifty Two Week High 34.2
Fifty Two Week High Change -7.8500004
Fifty Two Week High Change Percent -0.22953217
Fifty Two Week Low 17.31
Fifty Two Week Low Change 9.040001
Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent 0.52224153
Fifty Two Week Range 17.31 - 34.2
Financial Currency USD
First Trade Date Milliseconds 599,409,000,000
Float Shares 6,500,584
Forward Eps 1.35
Forward P E 19.518518
Free Cashflow -32,154,124
Full Exchange Name NasdaqGM
Full Time Employees 293
Fullday Change 0.220001
Fullday Change Percent 0.841949
Fullday Price 26.35
Gmt Off Set Milliseconds -14,400,000
Governance Epoch Date 1,785,542,400
Gross Margins 0.27177998
Gross Profits 65,882,000
Has Pre Post Market Data 1
Held Percent Insiders 0.39240003
Held Percent Institutions 0.56654
Implied Shares Outstanding 15,106,747
Industry Packaged Foods
Industry Disp Packaged Foods
Industry Key packaged-foods
Is Earnings Date Estimate 0
Language en-US
Last Dividend Date 1,369,785,600
Last Dividend Value 0.08
Last Fiscal Year End 1,767,139,200
Last Split Date 1,155,686,400
Last Split Factor 2:1
Long Business Summary Lifeway Foods, Inc. produces and markets probiotic-based products in North America. The company's primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and milk types. It offers European-style soft cheeses, including farmer and white cheeses, and sweet kiss; cream and other products; drinkable yogurt; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; and Fresh Made butter and sour cream. The company sells its products under the Lifeway, Fresh Made, and GlenOaks Farms brand names, as well as under private labels on behalf of customers primarily through direct sales force, brokers, and distributors. Lifeway Foods, Inc. was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Morton Grove, Illinois.
Long Name Lifeway Foods, Inc.
Market us_market
Market Cap 398,062,784
Market State CLOSED
Max Age 86,400
Message Board Id finmb_284751
Most Recent Quarter 1,782,777,600
Net Income To Common 10,871,000
Next Fiscal Year End 1,798,675,200
Non Diluted Market Cap 394,739,299
Number Of Analyst Opinions 3
Open 26.3
Operating Cashflow 11,225,000
Operating Margins 0.00897
Overall Risk 4
Payout Ratio 0.0
Peg Ratio 3.5
Phone 847 967 1010
Post Market Change 0.0
Post Market Change Percent 0.0
Post Market Price 26.35
Post Market Time 1,787,959,804
Previous Close 26.13
Price Eps Current Year 52.7
Price Hint 2
Price To Book 4.7061977
Price To Sales Trailing12 Months 1.6421123
Profit Margins 0.044850003
Quick Ratio 1.361
Quote Source Name Nasdaq Real Time Price
Quote Type EQUITY
Recommendation Key strong_buy
Recommendation Mean 1.0
Region US
Regular Market Change 0.220001
Regular Market Change Percent 0.841949
Regular Market Day High 26.53
Regular Market Day Low 26.085
Regular Market Day Range 26.085 - 26.53
Regular Market Open 26.3
Regular Market Previous Close 26.13
Regular Market Price 26.35
Regular Market Time 1,787,947,201
Regular Market Volume 87,082
Return On Assets 0.08523
Return On Equity 0.13317001
Revenue Growth 0.241
Revenue Per Share 15.928
Sand P52 Week Change 0.20204377
Sector Consumer Defensive
Sector Disp Consumer Defensive
Sector Key consumer-defensive
Share Holder Rights Risk 5
Shares Outstanding 15,106,747
Shares Percent Shares Out 0.024500001
Shares Short 370,559
Shares Short Previous Month Date 1,784,073,600
Shares Short Prior Month 336,867
Short Name Lifeway Foods, Inc.
Short Percent Of Float 0.060900003
Short Ratio 2.51
Source Interval 15
State IL
Symbol LWAY
Target High Price 35.0
Target Low Price 32.0
Target Mean Price 33.0
Target Median Price 32.0
Total Cash 7,087,000
Total Cash Per Share 0.469
Total Debt 22,466,000
Total Revenue 242,408,992
Tradeable 0
Trailing Annual Dividend Rate 0.0
Trailing Annual Dividend Yield 0.0
Trailing Eps 0.69
Trailing P E 38.188408
Trailing Peg Ratio None
Triggerable 1
Two Hundred Day Average 24.6119
Two Hundred Day Average Change 1.7381
Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent 0.07062031
Type Disp Equity
Volume 87,082
Website https://lifewaykefir.com
Zip 60,053