Lifeway Foods (LWAY) vs Vital Farms (VITL)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 9, 2026.
Summary
Lifeway Foods (LWAY) has outperformed Vital Farms (VITL) over the past year, losing 21.1% versus a loss of 78.9%. Over five years, LWAY leads with a +280.0% price change compared with -47.3% for VITL. Vital Farms is the larger company by market cap ($401.8 million vs $333.9 million), about 1.2 times the size.
On valuation, Lifeway Foods trades at a lower forward P/E (16.4x vs 34.4x for Vital Farms).
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | LWAY | VITL |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $22.10 | $9.36 |
| Market cap | $333.86M | $401.84M |
| 1-day change | +4.79% | -0.79% |
| YTD return | -12.96% | -70.46% |
| 1-year return | -21.07% | -78.85% |
| 5-year return | +280.00% | -47.29% |
| P/E ratio (TTM) | 32.03 | — |
| Forward P/E | 16.37 | 34.41 |
| EPS (TTM) | $0.69 | $-0.05 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Annual dividend | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 52-week high | $32.71 | $44.60 |
| 52-week low | $17.31 | $7.95 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -32.44% | -79.01% |
| Analyst consensus | none | buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +49.32% | +41.24% |
| Average volume | 148.54K | 1.60M |
| Shares outstanding | 15.11M | 42.93M |
| Employees | 293 | 739 |
| Sector | Consumer Staples | Consumer Staples |
| Industry | Packaged Foods | Packaged Foods |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- LWAY has outperformed VITL by 57.8 percentage points over the past year.
About Lifeway Foods
LWAY stock →Lifeway Foods, Inc. produces and markets probiotic-based products in North America.
Consumer Staples · Packaged Foods · 293 employees
About Vital Farms
VITL stock →Vital Farms, Inc., a food company, packages, markets, and distributes shell eggs, butter, and other products in the United States. The company produces products sourced from animals raised on family farms, including shell eggs, stick butter, hard-boiled eggs, and liquid whole eggs under the Vital Farms brand and other trade names.
Consumer Staples · Packaged Foods · 739 employees
LWAY vs VITL FAQ
Which is bigger, Lifeway Foods or Vital Farms?
Vital Farms (VITL) is larger, with a market capitalization of $401.84M compared with $333.86M for Lifeway Foods (LWAY).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, LWAY or VITL?
LWAY returned -21.07% over the past 12 months, compared with -78.85% for VITL (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Are Lifeway Foods and Vital Farms in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Packaged Foods industry within the Consumer Staples sector.