Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY) and Synutra International (NASDAQ:SYUT) are both consumer staples companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, profitabiliy, earnings, dividends, valuation and analyst recommendations.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
17.3% of Lifeway Foods shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 14.4% of Synutra International shares are owned by institutional investors. 49.8% of Lifeway Foods shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 63.5% of Synutra International shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Valuation and Earnings
This table compares Lifeway Foods and Synutra International’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | EBITDA | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Lifeway Foods | $123.43 million | 1.18 | $7.70 million | $0.17 | 52.83 |
| Synutra International | N/A | N/A | N/A | $0.14 | 43.07 |
Lifeway Foods has higher revenue and earnings than Synutra International. Synutra International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Lifeway Foods, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Lifeway Foods and Synutra International, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Lifeway Foods | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| Synutra International | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A |
Lifeway Foods presently has a consensus price target of $17.00, indicating a potential upside of 89.31%. Given Lifeway Foods’ higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Lifeway Foods is more favorable than Synutra International.
Profitability
This table compares Lifeway Foods and Synutra International’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Lifeway Foods | 2.16% | 5.55% | 3.96% |
| Synutra International | 4.71% | 15.06% | 2.55% |
Volatility and Risk
Lifeway Foods has a beta of 0.61, meaning that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Synutra International has a beta of 1.67, meaning that its stock price is 67% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Lifeway Foods beats Synutra International on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.
Lifeway Foods Company Profile
Lifeway Foods, Inc. (Lifeway) is engaged in the manufacturing of probiotic, cultured, functional dairy health food products. The Company is engaged in the sale of fermented dairy products, which are produced and are sold to consumers through a network of distributors and retailers in the United States. Through its distributors, the Company also sells its products to retailers in Mexico, Costa Rica, Dubai, Hong Kong, China and the Caribbean. The Company’s primary product is kefir, a dairy beverage similar to but distinct from yogurt, in various flavors and in various package configurations. In addition to the drinkable products, Lifeway manufactures Lifeway Farmer Cheese, a line of various farmer cheeses. Kefir also serves as a base for lower-calorie dressings, dips, marinades, soups or sauces and as a basic ingredient in other home-prepared foods. Recipes are made available through the Company’s Website. The Company also markets and sells its ProBugs line of drinkable kefir.
Synutra International Company Profile
Synutra International, Inc. is an infant formula company in China. The Company is engaged in the production, distribution and sale of dairy-based nutritional products under the Shengyuan or Synutra line of brands. The Company operates through three segments: Nutritional Food, which includes the sale of powdered infant and adult formula products, with brands, including Super, My Angel and Dutch Cow, as well as the sale of prepared foods under the brand of Huiliduo; Nutritional Supplement, which includes the production and sale of nutritional supplements, such as chondroitin sulfate to third-parties and microencapsulated Docosahexanoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid to the nutritional food segment for use in powdered formula production, and Other Business, which includes non-core businesses, such as ancillary sales of excess or unusable ingredients and materials to industrial customers; provision of genetic diagnostic services for new born babies, and sales of cosmetics to pregnant women.
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