Why we don't show a single “fair value” for LWAY
A trailing-FCF DCF can't fairly anchor Lifeway Foods, Inc. right now — free cash flow is currently depressed by a heavy investment cycle while revenue keeps growing. For a company in this position, trailing free cash flow understates what the business actually earns for owners, so any “fair value” built on it would be misleadingly low. The honest lens is the question below: what growth does today's price actually require? The model scenarios are listed further down for reference.
What would today's price require?
$20.55 is justified only if free cash flow grows about +39.8% a year (fading to 2.5% long-run) at a 7.5% required return — faster than the company has actually grown.
| Scenario | FCF growth (fading to 2.5%) | Discount | Value / share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 14.1%/yr | 8.5% | $6.49 |
| Base case | 17.1%/yr | 7.5% | $8.76 |
| Optimistic | 20.0%/yr | 6.5% | $12.34 |
| Third-party model estimate (FMP) | independent reference · retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · assumptions not provided | $36.05 | |
The FMP figure is a third-party point estimate. Its cash-flow forecast, discount rate, terminal growth, and valuation date are not included in the stored response, so TGMCharts presents it only as a reference—not as an intrinsic-value conclusion or price target.
Current Price
$20.55
Market-Implied Growth
+39.8%/yr
vs +17.1% 5Y actual
Base-Case Model Value
$8.76
model output — not a price target
Edit the assumptions to see how they change the estimated fair value. Opens seeded with TGM's data-driven base case for LWAY (growth from its own 5-year record, discount from its beta), so the sandbox starts where the scenarios above leave off. Illustrative model — not investment advice.
Base inputs: FCF $3.4M · 0.02B shares · net cash $5.5M
Estimated Fair Value
$8.76
-57.4% vs $20.55
How the estimated fair value shifts with the discount rate (WACC) and terminal growth, holding your 17.1%/yr FCF growth and 10-year horizon fixed. Green = above today's $20.55; red = below. Your current case is outlined.
| WACC ↓ / Terminal → | 1.50% | 2.00% | 2.50% | 3.00% | 3.50% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5% | $11.40 | $12.83 | $14.73 | $17.39 | $21.38 |
| 6.5% | $9.07 | $9.93 | $11.00 | $12.37 | $14.20 |
| 7.5% | $7.53 | $8.09 | $8.76 | $9.59 | $10.61 |
| 8.5% | $6.43 | $6.82 | $7.28 | $7.82 | $8.47 |
| 9.5% | $5.60 | $5.89 | $6.22 | $6.60 | $7.04 |
