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Lee Enterprises (Lee Enterprises) Beneish M-Score

: -2.51 (As of Today)
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The zones of discrimination for M-Score is as such:

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.
An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Good Sign:

Beneish M-Score -2.51 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

The historical rank and industry rank for Lee Enterprises's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:

LEE' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.16   Med: -2.73   Max: -1.92
Current: -2.51

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Lee Enterprises was -1.92. The lowest was -3.16. And the median was -2.73.


Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Historical Data

The historical data trend for Lee Enterprises's Beneish M-Score can be seen below:

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

* Premium members only.

Lee Enterprises Annual Data
Trend Sep14 Sep15 Sep16 Sep17 Sep18 Sep19 Sep20 Sep21 Sep22 Sep23
Beneish M-Score
Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.83 -2.57 -2.48 -2.42 -2.42

Lee Enterprises Quarterly Data
Mar19 Jun19 Sep19 Dec19 Mar20 Jun20 Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23
Beneish M-Score Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.45 -2.50 -2.53 -2.42 -2.51

Competitive Comparison

For the Publishing subindustry, Lee Enterprises's Beneish M-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Beneish M-Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.


Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Distribution

For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Lee Enterprises's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Lee Enterprises's Beneish M-Score falls into.



Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Calculation

The M-score was created by Professor Messod Beneish. Instead of measuring the bankruptcy risk (Altman Z-Score) or business trend (Piotroski F-Score), M-score can be used to detect the risk of earnings manipulation. This is the original research paper on M-score.

The M-Score Variables:

The M-score of Lee Enterprises for today is based on a combination of the following eight different indices:

M=-4.84+0.92 * DSRI+0.528 * GMI+0.404 * AQI+0.892 * SGI+0.115 * DEPI
=-4.84+0.92 * 1.0426+0.528 * 0.9951+0.404 * 1.0434+0.892 * 0.8663+0.115 * 0.9699
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9396+4.679 * 0.005573-0.327 * 0.9955
=-2.51

* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD.
* For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.

This Year (Dec23) TTM:Last Year (Dec22) TTM:
Total Receivables was $68.1 Mil.
Revenue was 155.678 + 164.009 + 171.31 + 170.687 = $661.7 Mil.
Gross Profit was 150.835 + 158.907 + 164.964 + 164.221 = $638.9 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $105.9 Mil.
Total Assets was $702.5 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $97.6 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $30.0 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $251.1 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $112.6 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $488.3 Mil.
Net Income was 0.688 + -1.984 + 1.503 + -5.885 = $-5.7 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 2.524 + -8.732 + -1.131 + -2.024 = $-9.4 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 0.08 + -1.04 + -2.131 + 2.861 = $-0.2 Mil.
Total Receivables was $75.4 Mil.
Revenue was 185.131 + 193.636 + 195.037 + 190.014 = $763.8 Mil.
Gross Profit was 177.699 + 185.789 + 187.495 + 182.946 = $733.9 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $121.1 Mil.
Total Assets was $747.7 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $117.5 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $34.8 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $308.5 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $135.9 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $506.6 Mil.




1. DSRI = Days Sales in Receivables Index

Measured as the ratio of Revenue in Total Receivables in year t to year t-1.

A large increase in DSR could be indicative of revenue inflation.

DSRI=(Receivables_t / Revenue_t) / (Receivables_t-1 / Revenue_t-1)
=(68.103 / 661.684) / (75.405 / 763.818)
=0.102924 / 0.098721
=1.0426

2. GMI = Gross Margin Index

Measured as the ratio of gross margin in year t-1 to gross margin in year t.

Gross margin has deteriorated when this index is above 1. A firm with poorer prospects is more likely to manipulate earnings.

GMI=GrossMargin_t-1 / GrossMargin_t
=(GrossProfit_t-1 / Revenue_t-1) / (GrossProfit_t / Revenue_t)
=(733.929 / 763.818) / (638.927 / 661.684)
=0.960869 / 0.965607
=0.9951

3. AQI = Asset Quality Index

AQI is the ratio of asset quality in year t to year t-1.

Asset quality is measured as the ratio of non-current assets other than Property, Plant and Equipment to Total Assets.

AQI=(1 - (CurrentAssets_t + PPE_t) / TotalAssets_t) / (1 - (CurrentAssets_t-1 + PPE_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=(1 - (105.866 + 97.595) / 702.509) / (1 - (121.094 + 117.533) / 747.696)
=0.71038 / 0.68085
=1.0434

4. SGI = Sales Growth Index

Ratio of Revenue in year t to sales in year t-1.

Sales growth is not itself a measure of manipulation. However, growth companies are likely to find themselves under pressure to manipulate in order to keep up appearances.

SGI=Sales_t / Sales_t-1
=Revenue_t / Revenue_t-1
=661.684 / 763.818
=0.8663

5. DEPI = Depreciation Index

Measured as the ratio of the rate of Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization in year t-1 to the corresponding rate in year t.

DEPI greater than 1 indicates that assets are being depreciated at a slower rate. This suggests that the firm might be revising useful asset life assumptions upwards, or adopting a new method that is income friendly.

DEPI=(Depreciation_t-1 / (Depreciaton_t-1 + PPE_t-1)) / (Depreciation_t / (Depreciaton_t + PPE_t))
=(34.754 / (34.754 + 117.533)) / (30.03 / (30.03 + 97.595))
=0.228214 / 0.235299
=0.9699

Note: If the Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization data is not available, we assume that the depreciation rate is constant and set the Depreciation Index to 1.

6. SGAI = Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index

The ratio of Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) to Sales in year t relative to year t-1.

SGA expenses index > 1 means that the company is becoming less efficient in generate sales.

SGAI=(SGA_t / Sales_t) / (SGA_t-1 /Sales_t-1)
=(251.137 / 661.684) / (308.541 / 763.818)
=0.379542 / 0.403946
=0.9396

7. LVGI = Leverage Index

The ratio of total debt to Total Assets in year t relative to yeat t-1.

An LVGI > 1 indicates an increase in leverage

LVGI=((LTD_t + CurrentLiabilities_t) / TotalAssets_t) / ((LTD_t-1 + CurrentLiabilities_t-1) / TotalAssets_t-1)
=((488.321 + 112.649) / 702.509) / ((506.616 + 135.926) / 747.696)
=0.855462 / 0.859363
=0.9955

8. TATA = Total Accruals to Total Assets

Total accruals calculated as the change in working capital accounts other than cash less depreciation.

TATA=(IncomefromContinuingOperations_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(NetIncome_t - NonOperatingIncome_t - CashFlowsfromOperations_t) / TotalAssets_t
=(-5.678 - -9.363 - -0.23) / 702.509
=0.005573

An M-Score of equal or less than -1.78 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator. An M-Score of greater than -1.78 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.

Lee Enterprises has a M-score of -2.51 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.


Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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Lee Enterprises (Lee Enterprises) Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
4600 E 53rd Street, Davenport, IA, USA, 52807
Lee Enterprises Inc is a local news publication company in the United States. It is a digital-first subscription business providing local markets with valuable, high quality, trusted, intensely local news, information, advertising and marketing services. Its product portfolio includes digital subscription platforms, daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and niche products, all delivering original local news and information as well as national and international news. The products offer digital and print editions, and its content and advertising is available in real time through the websites and mobile apps.
Executives
Shaun Mcalmont director C/O LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP., 200 EXECUTIVE DRIVE, SUITE 340, WEST ORANGE NJ 07052
Moloney Herbert W Iii director 215 N MAIN STREET, SUITE 400, DAVENPORT IA 52801
Steven C. Fletcher director C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 4600 EAST 53RD STREET, DAVENPORT IA 52807
Margaret R. Liberman director C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 201 N. HARRISON STREET, STE. 600, DAVENPORT IA 52801
David T. Pearson director C/O VONAGE HOLDINGS CORP, 23 MAIN STREET, HOLMDEL NJ 07733
Jolene N. Sherman officer: V.P. - Business Development C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 4600 E. 53RD STREET, DAVENPORT IA 52807
Joseph J Battistoni officer: VP - Local Advertising C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 4600 E. 53RD STREET, DAVENPORT IA 52807
Astrid J Garcia officer: VP - Human Resources & Legal C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 4600 E. 53RD STREET, DAVENPORT IA 52807
Cannell Capital Llc 10 percent owner 245 MERIWETHER CIRCLE, ALTA WY 83414
Nancy S Donovan director
William E Mayer director C/O LEE ENTERPRISES INC, 201 N. HARRISON ST., STE. 600, DAVENPORT IA 52801
Ray G Farris officer: V.P. & Group Publisher C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 201 N HARRISON STREET, STE. 600, DAVENPORT IA 52801
Gregory P Schermer director, 10 percent owner, officer: Vice Pres.-Interactive Media C/O LEE ENTERPRISES INCORPORATED, 215 N MAIN STREET STE 400, DAVENPORT IA 52801
Timothy R. Millage officer: V.P., CFO and Treasurer C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 201 N HARRISON STREET, STE. 600, DAVENPORT IA 52801
Michael R Gulledge officer: Vice President - Publishing C/O LEE ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED, 201 N. HARRISON STREET, DAVENPORT IA 52801-1939