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Side-by-side financial comparison of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY) and MESA LABORATORIES INC (MLAB). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
MESA LABORATORIES INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($65.1M vs $55.4M, roughly 1.2× Lifeway Foods, Inc.). MESA LABORATORIES INC runs the higher net margin — 5.6% vs 4.6%, a 1.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Lifeway Foods, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (18.0% vs 3.6%). MESA LABORATORIES INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($18.0M vs $-17.4M). Over the past eight quarters, Lifeway Foods, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (11.4% CAGR vs 5.1%).
Lifeway Foods is an Illinois-based health food company founded in 1986. They are a leading U.S. supplier of kefir and fermented probiotic products to support the microbiome.
Mesa Laboratories Inc. develops, manufactures and sells professional quality control, calibration and monitoring instruments as well as related supporting services. Its core offerings cater to healthcare, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, industrial hygiene and environmental testing markets, helping global clients meet regulatory compliance and operational safety requirements.
LWAY vs MLAB — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q3 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $55.4M | $65.1M |
| Net Profit | $2.5M | $3.6M |
| Gross Margin | 27.8% | 64.2% |
| Operating Margin | 6.8% | 12.2% |
| Net Margin | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Revenue YoY | 18.0% | 3.6% |
| Net Profit YoY | 1688.1% | 316.6% |
| EPS (diluted) | $0.15 | $0.65 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $55.4M | $65.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $57.1M | $60.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $53.9M | $59.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $46.1M | $62.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $46.9M | $62.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $46.1M | $57.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $49.2M | $58.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $44.6M | $58.9M |
| Q4 25 | $2.5M | $3.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.5M | $2.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.2M | $4.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $3.5M | $-7.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-160.0K | $-1.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.0M | $3.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.8M | $3.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.4M | $-254.6M |
| Q4 25 | 27.8% | 64.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 28.7% | 61.5% | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.6% | 62.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 23.9% | 61.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 25.3% | 63.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 25.7% | 61.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 27.0% | 64.0% | ||
| Q1 24 | 25.8% | 62.1% |
| Q4 25 | 6.8% | 12.2% | ||
| Q3 25 | 8.8% | 7.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 10.8% | 5.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 3.4% | 2.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.5% | 9.2% | ||
| Q3 24 | 9.1% | 6.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 11.0% | 9.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | 8.0% | -460.6% |
| Q4 25 | 4.6% | 5.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.2% | 4.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 7.9% | 8.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 7.7% | -11.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | -0.3% | -2.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.5% | 5.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 7.7% | 5.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.4% | -432.2% |
| Q4 25 | $0.15 | $0.65 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.23 | $0.45 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.28 | $0.85 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.23 | $-1.30 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.00 | $-0.31 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.19 | $0.63 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.25 | $0.62 | ||
| Q1 24 | $0.16 | $-47.26 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $5.6M | $29.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $68.4M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $85.8M | $186.7M |
| Total Assets | $105.6M | $434.8M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 0.37× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $5.6M | $29.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $23.0M | $20.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $21.2M | $21.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $19.4M | $27.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $16.7M | $27.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $20.6M | $24.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $14.6M | $28.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $12.0M | $28.2M |
| Q4 25 | — | $68.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $69.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | — | $70.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $71.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | — | $72.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | — | $73.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | — | $74.1M | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.5M | — |
| Q4 25 | $85.8M | $186.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $82.8M | $178.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $78.7M | $172.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $74.2M | $159.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $71.9M | $155.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $71.5M | $161.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $68.0M | $150.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $63.5M | $145.4M |
| Q4 25 | $105.6M | $434.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $109.5M | $430.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $98.3M | $435.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $93.7M | $433.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $90.5M | $433.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $91.3M | $454.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $84.9M | $440.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $82.8M | $446.8M |
| Q4 25 | — | 0.37× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 0.39× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.41× | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.45× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 0.47× | ||
| Q3 24 | — | 0.45× | ||
| Q2 24 | — | 0.49× | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.04× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $267.0K | $18.8M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-17.4M | $18.0M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -31.5% | 27.7% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 31.9% | 1.1% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | 0.11× | 5.17× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-16.4M | $37.9M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $267.0K | $18.8M | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.9M | $8.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9M | $1.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-150.0K | $12.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-2.6M | $18.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $7.5M | $5.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.5M | $10.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.5M | $12.9M |
| Q4 25 | $-17.4M | $18.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.8M | $7.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.6M | $884.0K | ||
| Q1 25 | $-2.4M | $11.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-3.8M | $17.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.9M | $3.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.1M | $9.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-923.0K | $12.3M |
| Q4 25 | -31.5% | 27.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.1% | 11.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.0% | 1.5% | ||
| Q1 25 | -5.1% | 19.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | -8.2% | 27.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 12.8% | 6.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 10.4% | 16.9% | ||
| Q1 24 | -2.1% | 21.0% |
| Q4 25 | 31.9% | 1.1% | ||
| Q3 25 | 9.0% | 1.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.3% | 1.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.8% | 1.2% | ||
| Q4 24 | 2.7% | 1.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.3% | 3.1% | ||
| Q2 24 | 2.9% | 1.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 5.5% | 0.9% |
| Q4 25 | 0.11× | 5.17× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.96× | 3.32× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.92× | 0.40× | ||
| Q1 25 | -0.04× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 2.50× | 1.54× | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.73× | 3.17× | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.64× | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
LWAY
| Drinkable Kefirotherthan Pro Bugs | $47.8M | 86% |
| Cheese | $4.7M | 8% |
| Cream And Other | $1.7M | 3% |
| Other | $1.2M | 2% |
MLAB
| Sterilization And Disinfection Control | $24.9M | 38% |
| Biopharmaceutical Development | $14.4M | 22% |
| Other | $14.1M | 22% |
| Clinical Genomics | $11.8M | 18% |
