Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ:LWAY – Get Free Report) and Inspire Veterinary Partners (NASDAQ:IVP – Get Free Report) are both small-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings for Lifeway Foods and Inspire Veterinary Partners, as reported by MarketBeat.com.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Lifeway Foods | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Inspire Veterinary Partners | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Lifeway Foods presently has a consensus target price of $34.00, indicating a potential upside of 38.16%. Given Lifeway Foods’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lifeway Foods is more favorable than Inspire Veterinary Partners.
Valuation and Earnings
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Lifeway Foods | $212.50 million | 1.75 | $13.86 million | $0.70 | 35.16 |
| Inspire Veterinary Partners | $15.56 million | 0.09 | -$14.26 million | ($2.20) | -0.02 |
Lifeway Foods has higher revenue and earnings than Inspire Veterinary Partners. Inspire Veterinary Partners is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lifeway Foods, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Risk & Volatility
Lifeway Foods has a beta of 0.44, suggesting that its stock price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Inspire Veterinary Partners has a beta of -0.49, suggesting that its stock price is 149% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Lifeway Foods and Inspire Veterinary Partners’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Lifeway Foods | 4.48% | 12.66% | 9.29% |
| Inspire Veterinary Partners | -76.75% | -520.34% | -55.79% |
Institutional and Insider Ownership
36.4% of Lifeway Foods shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 4.8% of Inspire Veterinary Partners shares are held by institutional investors. 18.6% of Lifeway Foods shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.4% of Inspire Veterinary Partners shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Summary
Lifeway Foods beats Inspire Veterinary Partners on 15 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Lifeway Foods
Lifeway Foods, Inc. produces and markets probiotic-based products in the United States and internationally. Its primary product is drinkable kefir, a cultured dairy product in various organic and non-organic sizes, flavors, and types. The company offers European-style soft cheeses; cream and other products; ProBugs, a line of kefir products designed for children; drinkable yogurt; and fresh made butter and sour cream. It sells its products under the Lifeway, GlenOaks Farms, and Fresh Made brand names, as well as under private labels on behalf of customers primarily through direct sales force, brokers, and distributors. Lifeway Foods, Inc. was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Morton Grove, Illinois.
About Inspire Veterinary Partners
Inspire Veterinary Partners, Inc. owns and operates veterinary hospitals in the United States. The company specializes in small animal general practice hospitals, which serve companion pets, canine, and feline breeds, including equine care. Its hospitals provide preventive care for companion animals consisting of annual health exams and parasite control; dental health; nutrition and body condition counseling; neurological examinations; radiology; bloodwork; and skin and coat health, and other breed specific preventive care services. It also offers surgical services, which include soft tissue procedures, such as spays and neuters, mass removals, splenectomies, gastropexies, orthopedic procedures, and other surgical offerings; and care and alternative procedures, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, and other health and wellness services. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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