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Lifeway FoodsLWAY -1.68%86 Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Aug. 19, 2026, which is 17% below its 10-year median of 6.00. GuruFocus rates LWAY with a GF Score™ of 86/100 and a GF Value™ of $28.29 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 1,911 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Lifeway Foods ranks better than 51.28% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Lifeway Foods has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Lifeway Foods's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
LWAY'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 6 Max: 9
Current: 5
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Lifeway Foods was 9. The lowest was 3. And the median was 6.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Lifeway Foods Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Lifeway Foods Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Lifeway Foods's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
LWAY vs USNA, ENHA, NATR: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Packaged Foods subindustry, Lifeway Foods's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Lifeway Foods Piotroski F-Score vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry
For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Lifeway Foods's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Lifeway Foods's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Lifeway Foods's current Net Income (TTM) was 10.9.
==> Positive ==> Score 1.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Lifeway Foods's return on assets of this year was 0.11062717. Lifeway Foods's return on assets of last year was 0.12484843.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Lifeway Foods's gearing of this year was 0.19722518. Lifeway Foods's gearing of last year was 0.00239791.
==> Last year is lower than this year ==> Score 0.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Lifeway Foods's current ratio of this year was 2.09431031. Lifeway Foods's current ratio of last year was 3.02848548.
==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Lifeway Foods's number of shares in issue this year was 15.289. Lifeway Foods's number of shares in issue last year was 15.39.
==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Lifeway Foods's gross margin of this year was 0.25637662. Lifeway Foods's gross margin of last year was 0.26007015.
==> Last year's gross margin is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Lifeway Foods's asset turnover of this year was 2.46684034. Lifeway Foods's asset turnover of last year was 2.27235911.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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5
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Lifeway Foods has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Lifeway Foods (LWAY) has a Piotroski F-Score of 5 as of Aug. 19, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Lifeway Foods and its competitors. This is 17% below median its historical median of 6.00. Over the past decade, Lifeway Foods' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 9.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Lifeway Foods ranks #931 out of 1911 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 48.7%.
Is Lifeway Foods' Piotroski F-Score too high?
Lifeway Foods' current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is 17% below median its 10-year median of 6.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 9.00. The Consumer Packaged Goods industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Lifeway Foods' value of 5 is 0% at this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Lifeway Foods ranks #931 out of 1911 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Lifeway Foods has a GF Score™ of 86/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lifeway Foods' Piotroski F-Score compare to USNA and ENHA?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Lifeway Foods ranks #931 out of 1911 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts Lifeway Foods in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Lifeway Foods' value of 5 is 0% at this benchmark. Historically, Lifeway Foods' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 9.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 6.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Lifeway Foods has consistently been at the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Consumer Packaged Goods company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Consumer Packaged Goods companies is 5.00, based on 1,911 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Lifeway Foods's current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is 0% at the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Lifeway Foods and its competitors. For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Lifeway Foods's current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is 17% below median its own 10-year median of 6.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Lifeway Foods stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Lifeway Foods (LWAY) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $28.29, compared to a current price of $25.04 — trading 11.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is 17% below median its 10-year median of 6.00 and 0% at the Consumer Packaged Goods industry median of 5.00. Lifeway Foods' overall GF Score™ is 86/100 with 1 warning sign to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Lifeway Foods (LWAY), the current Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Aug. 19, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Lifeway Foods (LWAY) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Lifeway Foods stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $25.04 is trading 11.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $28.29.
GuruFocus considers Lifeway Foods to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for LWAY:
Piotroski F-Score: 5 (17% below median its 10-year median of 6.00)
GF Value™: $28.29 vs. price of $25.04 (11.5% below fair value)
Industry Position: 0% at the Consumer Packaged Goods median (#931 of 1911)
No single metric tells the full story. See the LWAY stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Lifeway Foods Inc is engaged in manufacturing probiotic, cultured, functional dairy health food products. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, which is a cultured dairy product. Its product categories are Drinkable Kefir, which is the key revenue-driving product, European-style soft cheeses, Cream, ProBugs, Frozen Kefir, and Other dairy. The company manufactures and markets products under the Lifeway and Fresh Made brand names, as well as under private labels on behalf of customers. It sells the products through a direct sales force, brokers, and distributors.
86GF Score
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