LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY)
Consumer Staples · Packaged Dairy Foods · NASDAQ
Lifeway Foods is the leading U.S. kefir manufacturer and a recognized player in the probiotic-based, better-for-you dairy food market.
What LIFEWAY FOODS INC does
Lifeway Foods is the largest U.S. producer and marketer of kefir, a cultured probiotic dairy drink. The company produces a range of probiotic-based and "better-for-you" food products, including drinkable kefir, drinkable yogurt, European-style soft cheeses, and butter, marketed under the Lifeway, Fresh Made, and GlenOaks Farms brands.
Recent developments
Lifeway reported record Q2 2026 net sales of $66.9 million, marking 27 consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth. The company is managing margin headwinds from elevated milk and resin prices, with expected profitability recovery in 2027 supported by pricing power and ongoing operational investments, including a Waukesha facility expansion.
From LIFEWAY FOODS INC's filing of 2026-08-13.
Themes: probiotic foods, better-for-you foods, functional dairy, healthy snacking
Fundamentals
- Price$21.09 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$319M as of 2026-08-07 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return-21.1% 2025-10-08 close $26.72 → 2026-10-08 close $21.09
- P/E21.88 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+6.5% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+27.4% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+16.1% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.08 as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue growth (YoY)+21.9% as of 2026-09-03
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+14.5% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.34 as of 2026-09-03
- Last reported earnings2026-08-13 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: at least 2 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How LWAY compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 91 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit marginmiddle range 105 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-09-03
- operating marginmiddle range 98 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-09-03
- gross marginmiddle range 93 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-09-03
- return on equitymiddle range 106 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of 2026-09-03
- 3-year revenue CAGRtop 10% 109 covered Consumer Staples peers
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 10% 110 covered Consumer Staples peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Staples companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage
Not assessed — last reported dividend predates the accounts. The most recent fiscal year in which LWAY reported a dividend payment is FY2013, while its reported financial statements run through FY2025. Coverage is therefore not assessed for the latest year — an FY2013 ratio would not describe LWAY today.
Coverage is derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures, comparing dividends paid against net income and free cash flow for the SAME fiscal year. It is not shown here because the latest fiscal year with a reported dividend payment (FY2013) is older than the latest year of reported financial statements (FY2025), so any ratio would describe an out-of-date year. Informational only — not financial advice.
How LIFEWAY FOODS INC looks technically
LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) is trading 14.3% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 85 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 42, with sellers in control. Momentum is beaten down — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 30, in oversold territory (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped positive). It made a new 20-day low about 3 trading days ago. It is 35.5% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 14.3% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -14.3% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $25.23 | $25.23 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $24.61 | $24.61 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 45 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 45 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 5 of five; the labelling fails if price closes above 27.43. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible downward five-wave sequence, in wave 5 (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 85 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 85 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong downtrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 42, with sellers in control | 42.3 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is beaten down — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 30, in oversold territory (below 30) | 29.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the lower half of its 14-day range ($20.27 to $24.22) — its "stochastic" reading is 21 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 20.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 1 trading day ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 1 session |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $32.69 | $32.69 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 35.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -35.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 21.8% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +21.8% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 35.5% below its highest point of the past year | 35.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 3 trading days ago | 3 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 3 trading days ago | 3 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $34.20 (set on 2025-09-17) | $34.20 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($17.80 to $32.33), and it has given back well over two thirds of its rise from last year’s low — 77% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $22.89 to $23.35. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 77.4% |
| From the all-time high | it is 38.3% below its all-time high | -38.3% |
| Nearest price level | it is sitting right on a support level at $21.07 — a price it turned at four times since 2025-02-11, most recently on 2026-02-12. Since 2024-10-08 it has 1 such level below the current price and 12 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -0.1% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $1.43 (set on 2020-03-18) | $1.43 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 1374.8% above its all-time low | +1,375% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 59th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.8185 between its high and its low — about 3.9% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.8185 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $19.55 and $25.34 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $19.55 – $22.44 – $25.34 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.9% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.9% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 4.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (14.3% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 4.3 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.87× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | not available for this company yet | n/a |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 4 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 4 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bearish engulfing | 5 sessions ago it opened above the previous session's close and finished below that session's open — a "bearish engulfing" pair, where one down day more than undid the up day before it | 5 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 at essentially the same price it closed at the session before — no meaningful overnight gap | -0.1% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 5.5% above the previous close 1 session ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 20.46 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +5.5% |
| Gap filled | a 2.2% gap up opened on 2026-08-20 has been "filled" 23 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 11 sessions to close | 23 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed lower in its latest session, after a session that did not close lower — a single down day rather than a run | 1 session down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 16.5 percentage points (the stock lost 15.5% while the market gained 1.0%) | -16.5% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 34.2 percentage points (the stock lost 30.4% while the market gained 3.8%) | -34.2% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 24.7 percentage points (the stock lost 7.3% while the market gained 17.5%) | -24.8% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 36.0 percentage points (the stock lost 21.1% while the market gained 15.0%) | -36.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, its RSI momentum gauge is oversold (a beaten-down reading), MACD momentum is positive — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 5 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: trading below its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day low, a strong downtrend, with sellers in control, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 5 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 22% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 5.0% of the share price. | -22.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 17% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $25.56 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 191 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -17.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 12% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-13 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $24.04 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 40 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -12.3% |
Price levels it has turned at before
LWAY last closed at $21.09 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 1 price below its last close and 12 above; the nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $21.07 | Support | 0.1% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-02-11 to 2026-02-12 |
| $21.89 | Resistance | 3.8% above the last close | turned there four times · 2025-01-13 to 2025-05-28 |
| $22.48 | Resistance | 6.6% above the last close | turned there five times · 2024-12-20 to 2026-06-02 |
| $22.96 | Resistance | 8.9% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-02-02 to 2026-05-18 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 5 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $27.43.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 3 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $21.50 and $25.16 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
This reading has stood for 28 trading days, since 2026-08-31.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Oversold (14-day RSI below 30) · Pulled back from the 12-month high · Broke down to a new 20-day low · MACD just crossed bullish (12/26/9) · lagging the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Mean price target$33.00 range $32.00 – $35.00; median $32.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-03. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for LWAY
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.05 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-03
- Estimate change, 30 days$0.00 from $0.05, on 2026-08-29, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward0% of 6 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["High level of competition in the probiotic and dairy product categories.","Exposure to volatility in the pricing of raw commodities, particularly conventional milk and resin-based packaging.","Potential supply chain disruptions affecting manufacturing and distribution capabilities."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of LWAY's 10-Q filed 2026-05-14 against the prior one filed 2025-11-12.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added new 'Business Trends' section header with 'Current Macroeconomic Environment' subsection in newer filing (filed 2026-05-14)
- Added new 'Results of Operations' section with detailed financial table comparing three months ended March 31, 2026 vs. 2025, including net sales, cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and net income figures (filed 2026-05-14)
- Added new 'Net Sales' subsection header in newer filing (filed 2026-05-14)
- Removed:
- Removed 'Recent Developments and Trends' section header from older filing (filed 2025-11-12)
- Removed entire 'Organic Milk Supply' subsection describing herd purchases, dairy facility agreement, herd agreement details, and related accounting treatment that was present in older filing (filed 2025-11-12)
- Reworded:
- Updated Form 10-K fiscal year reference from 'December 31, 2024' in older filing to 'December 31, 2025' in newer filing
- Reorganized section structure: older filing had 'Recent Developments and Trends' with 'Organic Milk Supply' and 'Current Macroeconomic Environment' subsections; newer filing reorganized into 'Business Trends' section containing 'Current Macroeconomic Environment' only
- Notes:
- Newer filing text appears truncated at the 'Net Sales' subsection; full extent of additions cannot be fully assessed
- Older filing text also appears truncated in 'Current Macroeconomic Environment' section, preventing complete comparison of that section's full content
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
7 open-market purchases and 8 open-market sales by insiders in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 30 days · read to 2026-10-043 buys ($2M) · 0 sells — 1 buying insider
- Last 90 days · read to 2026-10-047 buys ($8M) · 8 sells ($8M) — 3 buying, 2 selling insiders
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-0415 buys ($17M) · 31 sells ($95M) — 5 buying, 3 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-10-06. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about LWAY's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
5 institutional 13F filers reported holding LWAY as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 5
- Reported shares held 2,662,283
- Reported value $79,442,541
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 5 increased, 0 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about LWAY's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
LWAY had 513,002 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
LWAY had 3.40% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 5.21 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 513,002
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 3.40%
- Prior settlement (shares) 426,536
- Reported change 20.27%
- Days to cover (reported) 5.21
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Danone (DANOY)
- Chobani
- General Mills (GIS)
- Stonyfield Organic
- Siggi's
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Compare LWAY vs…
Frequently asked questions
What does LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) do?
Lifeway Foods is the largest U.S. producer and marketer of kefir, a cultured probiotic dairy drink. The company produces a range of probiotic-based and "better-for-you" food products, including drinkable kefir, drinkable yogurt, European-style soft cheeses, and butter, marketed under the Lifeway, Fresh Made, and GlenOaks Farms brands.
What sector is LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) in?
LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) is classified in the Consumer Staples sector. Its industry is Packaged Dairy Foods. It trades on NASDAQ.
Who are LIFEWAY FOODS INC's (LWAY) competitors?
Notable peers of LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) include Danone, Chobani, General Mills, Stonyfield Organic and Siggi's. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) overbought or oversold right now?
LIFEWAY FOODS INC (LWAY) is currently in oversold territory (its 14-day RSI is 30, below 30) (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on LWAY come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-03; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-03 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.