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Cumulus MediaCMLSQ Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Aug. 20, 2026, which is 20% above its 10-year median of 5.00. The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,002 Media - Diversified companies, Cumulus Media ranks better than 78.24% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Cumulus Media has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
CMLSQ'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 2 Med: 5 Max: 8
Current: 6
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Cumulus Media was 8. The lowest was 2. And the median was 5.
Cumulus Media (OTCPK:CMLSQ) Piotroski F-Score Explanation
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
Cumulus Media Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Cumulus Media Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-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.
For the Broadcasting subindustry, Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-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.
Cumulus Media Piotroski F-Score vs Media - Diversified Industry
For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* 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.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
Cumulus Media's current Net Income (TTM) was -181.6.
==> Negative ==> Score 0.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Cumulus Media's return on assets of this year was -0.16418754. Cumulus Media's return on assets of last year was -0.20696336.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Cumulus Media's gearing of this year was 0.00106737. Cumulus Media's gearing of last year was 0.67689909.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Cumulus Media's current ratio of this year was 3.65361787. Cumulus Media's current ratio of last year was 2.15761308.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
Cumulus Media's number of shares in issue this year was 17.668. Cumulus Media's number of shares in issue last year was 17.44.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
Cumulus Media's gross margin of this year was 0.63735241. Cumulus Media's gross margin of last year was 0.61747492.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
Cumulus Media's asset turnover of this year was 0.63354784. Cumulus Media's asset turnover of last year was 0.57450787.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
Piotroski F-Score
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6
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Cumulus Media has an F-score of 6 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Cumulus Media (CMLSQ) has a Piotroski F-Score of 6 as of Aug. 20, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Cumulus Media and its competitors. This is 20% above median its historical median of 5.00. Over the past decade, Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Cumulus Media ranks #218 out of 1002 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, placing it in the top 21.8%.
Is Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Cumulus Media's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 20% above median its 10-year median of 5.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 2.00 to a high of 8.00. The Media - Diversified industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Cumulus Media's value of 6 is 20% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Cumulus Media ranks #218 out of 1002 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers.
How does Cumulus Media's Piotroski F-Score compare to MDEX and NXST?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Cumulus Media ranks #218 out of 1002 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Cumulus Media in the top 22% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Cumulus Media's value of 6 is 20% above this benchmark. Historically, Cumulus Media's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 2.00 to 8.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Cumulus Media has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Media - Diversified company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Media - Diversified companies is 5.00, based on 1,002 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Cumulus Media's current Piotroski F-Score of 6 is 20% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Cumulus Media and its competitors. For the Media - Diversified industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Cumulus Media's current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is 20% above median its own 10-year median of 5.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Cumulus Media stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Cumulus Media (CMLSQ) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $0.59, compared to a current price of $0.00 — trading 99.2% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 6, which is 20% above median its 10-year median of 5.00 and 20% above the Media - Diversified industry median of 5.00. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Cumulus Media (CMLSQ), the current Piotroski F-Score is 6 as of Aug. 20, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Cumulus Media Inc is an audio-first media company delivering content to over a quarter billion people monthly whenever required. It is a radio broadcasting company combining high-quality local programming with iconic, nationally syndicated media, sports, and entertainment brands to deliver premium content choices to its customers and radio stations affiliated with the Westwood One network and numerous digital channels. The company's revenue is derived from Broadcast radio revenue, Digital revenue, and Other revenue.
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