LWAY
Lifeway Foods Inc. Common StockConsumer Staples · ·
$31.06
▲ $1.68 (+5.7%)
Market Cap
$474.66M
Day Range
$29.49 - $31.13
52-Week Range
$17.31 - $34.20
Beta
—
Next Earnings
13.08.2026
LWAY is a stock from the Consumer Defensive sector — Food, beverages, and household products — steady demand even in a recession, since these are essential consumer goods.
🏢 Similar Stocks in the Same Sector
+6.2% (1Y)
This score and all analysis on this page are for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice. Read the full disclaimer
Weighted: Technical 25% · Fundamental 20% · Growth 15% · Valuation 15% · News 10% · Quality 10% · Risk 5%
🔍 Cross-Check
Overall Score
🟡 Mixed
Technical Trend
🔴 Bearish
Insiders
🔴 Bearish
✅ Why is the score relatively high?
- 🟢 Earnings per share (EPS) growth: 48.3%
- 🟢 Net income growth: 53.6%
- 🟢 Operating margin is stable or improving over time
- 🟢 Current ratio: 2.23
- 🟢 Price is above the 50-day average
⚠️ What's concerning?
- 🔴 Estimated fair value: -$21.72 vs. price $31.06 (-169.9%)
- 🔴 SMA 50 recently crossed below SMA 200
- 🔴 Free cash flow growth: -362.0%
- 🔴 MACD histogram is negative — falling momentum
- 🔴 Price is below the SAR point — downtrend
🚦 Quality & Risk Checks
📰 News Trend
Based on real financial news (Finnhub)Everyone's writing about Lifeway Foods Inc. Common Stock. News trend score: 56. Reason: 1 of the last 1 articles are positive, versus 0 negative.
News trend analysis is based on article sentiment only, and is not investment advice or financial counsel. Read the full disclaimer
📈 Technical Analysis
Based on the last 251 trading days, calculated from real price data. Click an indicator for details and a chart.
🔴 Most indicators support a downtrend (3 bullish · 7 bearish · 2 neutral)
Conclusions
- 🟢Price vs. SMA 50 — Price is above the 50-day average
- 🟢Price vs. SMA 200 — Price is above the 200-day average
- 🔴Death Cross — SMA 50 recently crossed below SMA 200
- 🔴MACD — MACD histogram is negative — falling momentum
- 🔴RSI — RSI 46.0 — weak/negative bias
- 🔴Stochastic — %K 10.3 — oversold
- 🟡ADX (trend strength) — ADX 24.0 — weak trend/choppy
- 🟢Relative strength vs. S&P 500 — +5.5% over the last 3 months relative to the index
- 🔴Bollinger Bands — Price is in the lower third of the Bollinger Bands (8%B) — weakness (chance of a recovery)
- 🔴ROC (rate of change) — ROC 12 days: -5.3%
- 🔴Parabolic SAR — Price is below the SAR point — downtrend
- 🟡CMF (money flow) — CMF 20 days: -0.03
Wyckoff Method Analysis
A market-structure read based purely on real price and volume data — not full classic Wyckoff schematic identification (Phase A-E), but a quantitative analysis of what can reliably be computed: trading ranges, "effort vs. result", volume within the range, and Spring/Upthrust detection.
The stock is in a clear uptrend with no defined trading range in the period examined.
Medium confidence
Evidence Behind This Read
- 🟢Rising price trend — A 21.3% change over the last 50 days, with no defined trading range.
The Wyckoff Method, developed by Richard Wyckoff in the early 20th century, reads the balance of supply and demand through price and volume, based on the premise that large investors ("smart money") quietly accumulate shares before rallies and quietly distribute them before declines. The read here is based solely on real price and volume data — full, precise identification of classic Wyckoff patterns (such as Phases A-E) requires human chart-reading experience and judgment, so this is an approximate algorithmic read, not a substitute for professional analysis. This should not be considered investment advice.
🎯 Trade Planning (M.A.E.E Framework)
Based on a mechanical trading method: market structure → value zone → ATR-based exit point. Not investment advice — a calculation tool only.
1️⃣ Market Structure
🟢 Uptrend
The price is above the 200-day average — per the market-structure method, this environment mainly favors looking for buying (Long) opportunities.
2️⃣ Value Zone
🟡 Price far from value zone
The price is currently far from the 50-day average — the method recommends waiting for a "pullback" before entering, rather than chasing prices.
3️⃣ Suggested Exit Point (ATR-based)
Method formula: Stop-loss = support minusone ATR margin — this way the stop adapts to the stock's actual volatility, rather than an arbitrary number.
Entry
$29.38
Stop-Loss
$21.25
Risk per Share
$8.13
Direction
Long
Profit Targets by Risk/Reward Ratio (R)
1:2 R
$45.64
1:3 R
$53.77
1:5 R
$70.04
💰 Position Size Calculator
A core principle of the method: never risk a fixed dollar amount — risk a fixed percentage of equity, and let the position size vary according to the risk per share.
Suggested Position Size
12 sh.
💰 Financial Health
Profitability
Gross Margin
27.4%
Operating Margin
7.6%
Net Margin
6.5%
EBITDA Margin
9.5%
Efficiency
ROE
16.1%
ROA
13.1%
ROIC
—
EPS
$0.91
Balance Sheet
Cash
$5.57M
Total Debt
—
Current Ratio
2.23
Debt/Equity
—
Conclusions
- 🟡Gross margin — Gross margin: 27.4% — reasonable
- 🔴Operating margin — Operating margin: 7.6% — weak
- 🟡Net margin — Net margin: 6.5% — reasonable
- 🟡Return on equity (ROE) — Return on equity (ROE): 16.1% — reasonable
- 🟢Return on assets (ROA) — Return on assets (ROA): 13.1% — strong
- 🟢Current ratio (liquidity) — Current ratio: 2.23
🚀 Growth
Revenue
Earnings per Share (EPS)
Net Income
Free Cash Flow (FCF)
Conclusions
- 🟢Revenue growth (last year) — Revenue growth (last year): 13.7%
- 🟢Earnings per share (EPS) growth — Earnings per share (EPS) growth: 48.3%
- 🔴Free cash flow growth — Free cash flow growth: -362.0%
- 🟢Net income growth — Net income growth: 53.6%
💎 Fair Value (Valuation)
Current Price
$31.06
Estimated Fair Value (DCF)
-$21.72
Gap
-169.9%
🔴 Appears expensive relative to estimated value
Show all model (DCF) assumptions →
Year 1 Growth Rate
14.5%
Discount Rate (WACC)
9.0%
Terminal Growth Rate
2.5%
Projection Years
5
| Year | Growth Rate | Projected FCF | Present Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14.5% | $-18.79M | $-17.24M |
| 2 | 11.5% | $-20.96M | $-17.64M |
| 3 | 8.5% | $-22.74M | $-17.56M |
| 4 | 5.5% | $-23.99M | $-16.99M |
| 5 | 2.5% | $-24.59M | $-15.98M |
Base FCF (last actual year)
$-16.41M
Terminal Value
$-387.76M
Present Value of Terminal Value
$-252.02M
Enterprise Value
$-337.43M
Net Debt
$0
Equity Value
$-337.43M
*The DCF model is an estimate based on assumptions — not a guaranteed forecast. You can change the assumptions to examine different scenarios.
Book Value per Share
$5.52
Tangible Book Value per Share (Tangible NAV)
$4.40
Conclusions
- 🔴DCF Fair Value — Estimated fair value: -$21.72 vs. price $31.06 (-169.9%)
- 🟡Tangible Net Asset Value (NAV) — NAV per share: $4.40
- 🟡P/E — P/E: 33.0
🕴️ Insider Trading
Real transactions by officers and insiders, as reported to the SEC on Form 4 — 0 purchases and 8 sales out of the last 25 filings.
| Name | Transaction Type | Date | Shares | Change | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA | Open Market Sale | 22.7.2026 | 547,207 | -60,000 | $30.55 |
| SMOLYANSKY LUDMILA | Open Market Sale | 22.7.2026 | 507,207 | -40,000 | $29.46 |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 15.7.2026 | 1,047,056 | -24,653 | $31.51 |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 15.7.2026 | 1,004,793 | -42,263 | $32.32 |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 7.7.2026 | 1,071,709 | -39,098 | $29.41 |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 6.7.2026 | 1,110,807 | -7,984 | $29.79 |
| Chartier Kirk | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| SCHER JASON SCOTT | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 1,354 | -1,356 | — |
| SCHER JASON SCOTT | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| SCHER JASON SCOTT | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 83,058 | +1,356 | — |
| Harris Andee | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| McWhorter Dorri | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 27,292 | +1,356 | — |
| McWhorter Dorri | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 1,354 | -1,356 | — |
| McWhorter Dorri | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| Dalto Juan Carlos | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 1,354 | -1,356 | — |
| Dalto Juan Carlos | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| Dalto Juan Carlos | Exercise of Derivative Securities | 1.7.2026 | 9,221 | +1,356 | — |
| Drori Rachel | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| Hultquist Susan | Grant/Award from Employer | 1.7.2026 | 2,038 | +2,038 | — |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 30.6.2026 | 852,642 | -50,000 | $29.56 |
| SMOLYANSKY EDWARD | Open Market Sale | 30.6.2026 | 852,642 | -50,000 | $29.56 |
| Chartier Kirk | Grant/Award from Employer | 30.6.2026 | 1,413 | +556 | — |
| SCHER JASON SCOTT | Grant/Award from Employer | 30.6.2026 | 81,702 | +828 | — |
| Harris Andee | Grant/Award from Employer | 30.6.2026 | 1,439 | +566 | — |
| Dalto Juan Carlos | Grant/Award from Employer | 30.6.2026 | 7,865 | +503 | — |
📉 Short Interest
Official FINRA data — the number of shares open in short positions, plus daily short-sale activity.
Monthly Trend — Open Short Interest
336,867 shares short as of 2026-07-15 · vs. 463,568 on 2026-06-30
Official biweekly report (FINRA Rule 4560) — no real higher-frequency data exists for this metric.
Weekly Trend — Daily Short-Sale Activity
51.2% of trading volume this week was short selling, vs. 46.8% the prior week
Based on daily short-sale volume (Reg SHO) — a different metric from the open short interest above: this is daily trading volume, not an open position, so it updates weekly rather than biweekly.
📰 News & Sentiment
Sentiment based on basic keywords (not AI) — 1 positive, 0 neutral, 0 negative out of the last 1 articles.
SeekingAlpha · 3.8.2026