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Side-by-side financial comparison of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY) and SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SMA). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($78.4M vs $55.4M, roughly 1.4× Lifeway Foods, Inc.). Lifeway Foods, Inc. runs the higher net margin — 4.6% vs 3.8%, a 0.8% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (29.4% vs 18.0%). Over the past eight quarters, SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc.'s revenue compounded faster (17.3% CAGR vs 11.4%).

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.

SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. is a real estate investment trust focused on owning, operating, and acquiring high-quality self-storage properties. Its portfolio covers multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces, offering secure, flexible storage solutions for residential customers storing personal belongings and commercial clients storing inventory or seasonal goods.

LWAY vs SMA — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
SMA
SMA
1.4× larger
SMA
$78.4M
$55.4M
LWAY
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
SMA
SMA
+11.4% gap
SMA
29.4%
18.0%
LWAY
Higher net margin
LWAY
LWAY
0.8% more per $
LWAY
4.6%
3.8%
SMA
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
SMA
SMA
Annualised
SMA
17.3%
11.4%
LWAY

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Revenue
$55.4M
$78.4M
Net Profit
$2.5M
$3.0M
Gross Margin
27.8%
61.2%
Operating Margin
6.8%
24.0%
Net Margin
4.6%
3.8%
Revenue YoY
18.0%
29.4%
Net Profit YoY
1688.1%
2080.0%
EPS (diluted)
$0.15

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.

Revenue
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$55.4M
$78.4M
Q3 25
$57.1M
$70.4M
Q2 25
$53.9M
$66.8M
Q1 25
$46.1M
$65.4M
Q4 24
$46.9M
$60.6M
Q3 24
$46.1M
$60.2M
Q2 24
$49.2M
$59.2M
Q1 24
$44.6M
$57.0M
Net Profit
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$2.5M
$3.0M
Q3 25
$3.5M
$5.2M
Q2 25
$4.2M
$-4.8M
Q1 25
$3.5M
$-5.5M
Q4 24
$-160.0K
$-150.0K
Q3 24
$3.0M
$-6.2M
Q2 24
$3.8M
$-705.0K
Q1 24
$2.4M
$-1.6M
Gross Margin
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
27.8%
61.2%
Q3 25
28.7%
60.9%
Q2 25
28.6%
59.3%
Q1 25
23.9%
64.1%
Q4 24
25.3%
66.3%
Q3 24
25.7%
64.8%
Q2 24
27.0%
66.4%
Q1 24
25.8%
65.1%
Operating Margin
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
6.8%
24.0%
Q3 25
8.8%
18.1%
Q2 25
10.8%
15.4%
Q1 25
3.4%
26.3%
Q4 24
1.5%
29.4%
Q3 24
9.1%
29.4%
Q2 24
11.0%
29.9%
Q1 24
8.0%
28.0%
Net Margin
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
4.6%
3.8%
Q3 25
6.2%
7.4%
Q2 25
7.9%
-7.2%
Q1 25
7.7%
-8.3%
Q4 24
-0.3%
-0.2%
Q3 24
6.5%
-10.3%
Q2 24
7.7%
-1.2%
Q1 24
5.4%
-2.9%
EPS (diluted)
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$0.15
Q3 25
$0.23
$0.09
Q2 25
$0.28
$-0.16
Q1 25
$0.23
$-0.35
Q4 24
$0.00
Q3 24
$0.19
$-0.26
Q2 24
$0.25
$-0.16
Q1 24
$0.16
$-0.20

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$5.6M
$54.2M
Total DebtLower is stronger
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$85.8M
$1.2B
Total Assets
$105.6M
$2.4B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$5.6M
$54.2M
Q3 25
$23.0M
$47.8M
Q2 25
$21.2M
$37.7M
Q1 25
$19.4M
$35.2M
Q4 24
$16.7M
$23.1M
Q3 24
$20.6M
$36.7M
Q2 24
$14.6M
$34.7M
Q1 24
$12.0M
$39.2M
Total Debt
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
$2.5M
Stockholders' Equity
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$85.8M
$1.2B
Q3 25
$82.8M
$1.2B
Q2 25
$78.7M
$1.2B
Q1 25
$74.2M
$303.0M
Q4 24
$71.9M
$325.7M
Q3 24
$71.5M
$343.9M
Q2 24
$68.0M
$365.8M
Q1 24
$63.5M
$384.8M
Total Assets
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$105.6M
$2.4B
Q3 25
$109.5M
$2.4B
Q2 25
$98.3M
$2.3B
Q1 25
$93.7M
$2.1B
Q4 24
$90.5M
$2.0B
Q3 24
$91.3M
$1.9B
Q2 24
$84.9M
$1.9B
Q1 24
$82.8M
$1.9B
Debt / Equity
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
Q3 24
Q2 24
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
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$267.0K
$85.0M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-17.4M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-31.5%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
31.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
0.11×
28.61×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$-16.4M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$267.0K
$85.0M
Q3 25
$6.9M
$52.1M
Q2 25
$3.9M
$8.0M
Q1 25
$-150.0K
$10.6M
Q4 24
$-2.6M
$64.0M
Q3 24
$7.5M
$21.7M
Q2 24
$6.5M
$17.3M
Q1 24
$1.5M
$14.4M
Free Cash Flow
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
$-17.4M
Q3 25
$1.8M
Q2 25
$1.6M
Q1 25
$-2.4M
Q4 24
$-3.8M
Q3 24
$5.9M
Q2 24
$5.1M
Q1 24
$-923.0K
FCF Margin
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
-31.5%
Q3 25
3.1%
Q2 25
3.0%
Q1 25
-5.1%
Q4 24
-8.2%
Q3 24
12.8%
Q2 24
10.4%
Q1 24
-2.1%
Capex Intensity
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
31.9%
Q3 25
9.0%
Q2 25
4.3%
Q1 25
4.8%
Q4 24
2.7%
Q3 24
3.3%
Q2 24
2.9%
Q1 24
5.5%
Cash Conversion
LWAY
LWAY
SMA
SMA
Q4 25
0.11×
28.61×
Q3 25
1.96×
9.96×
Q2 25
0.92×
Q1 25
-0.04×
Q4 24
Q3 24
2.50×
Q2 24
1.73×
Q1 24
0.64×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

LWAY
LWAY

Drinkable Kefirotherthan Pro Bugs$47.8M86%
Cheese$4.7M8%
Cream And Other$1.7M3%
Other$1.2M2%

SMA
SMA

Self Storage Rental Revenue$62.0M79%
Other$11.9M15%
Ancillary Operating Revenue$2.9M4%
Asset Management1$1.7M2%

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