AVB (AvalonBay Communities) Beneish M-Score: -2.70 (As of Jun. 27, 2026)


AVB AvalonBay Communities Inc AVB
84 GF Score
Price $190.12
GF Value $207.83
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 5 Warning Signs
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What is AvalonBay Communities Beneish M-Score?

AvalonBay Communities AVB +2.14% 84 Beneish M-Score is -2.70 as of Jun. 27, 2026. GuruFocus rates AVB with a GF Score™ of 84/100 and a GF Value™ of $207.83 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 764 REITs companies, AvalonBay Communities ranks better than 73.17% on this metric.

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 -2.7 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

AVB' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.71   Med: -2.62   Max: -2.53
Current: -2.7

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of AvalonBay Communities was -2.53. The lowest was -2.71. And the median was -2.62.


AvalonBay Communities Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for AvalonBay Communities'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.

AvalonBay Communities Beneish M-Score Chart

AvalonBay Communities Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.70 -2.57 -2.59 -2.61 -2.69

AvalonBay Communities Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Beneish M-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial 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 -2.61 -2.61 -2.62 -2.69 -2.70

AVB vs EQR, ESS, INVH: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the REIT - Residential subindustry, AvalonBay Communities'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.


AvalonBay Communities Beneish M-Score vs REITs Industry

For the REITs industry and Real Estate sector, AvalonBay Communities's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


AVB
84GF Score
AvalonBay Communities Inc AVB
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

AvalonBay Communities 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 AvalonBay Communities 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+0.528 * 1.0054+0.404 * 0.9978+0.892 * 1.0402+0.115 * 0.9801
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.1088+4.679 * -0.045902-0.327 * 1.0745
=-2.70

* 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 (Mar26) TTM:Last Year (Mar25) TTM:
Total Receivables was $0 Mil.
Revenue was 770.279 + 767.856 + 766.796 + 760.195 = $3,065 Mil.
Gross Profit was 481.751 + 485.999 + 473.569 + 483.224 = $1,925 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $291 Mil.
Total Assets was $22,127 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $146 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $929 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $89 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $1,597 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $8,754 Mil.
Net Income was 325.73 + 164.733 + 381.306 + 268.665 = $1,140 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 165.434 + -3.536 + 221.377 + 98.691 = $482 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 418.933 + 400.431 + 476.959 + 377.812 = $1,674 Mil.
Total Receivables was $0 Mil.
Revenue was 745.88 + 740.549 + 734.307 + 726.041 = $2,947 Mil.
Gross Profit was 477.019 + 458.9 + 458.847 + 465.39 = $1,860 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $219 Mil.
Total Assets was $21,216 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $154 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $852 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $77 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $986 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $8,251 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)
=(0 / 3065.126) / (0 / 2946.777)
=0 / 0
=1

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)
=(1860.156 / 2946.777) / (1924.543 / 3065.126)
=0.631251 / 0.627884
=1.0054

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 - (291.094 + 145.704) / 22126.953) / (1 - (219.107 + 153.738) / 21215.714)
=0.980259 / 0.982426
=0.9978

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
=3065.126 / 2946.777
=1.0402

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))
=(852.472 / (852.472 + 153.738)) / (928.592 / (928.592 + 145.704))
=0.847211 / 0.864373
=0.9801

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)
=(88.976 / 3065.126) / (77.146 / 2946.777)
=0.029028 / 0.02618
=1.1088

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)
=((8754.013 + 1597.145) / 22126.953) / ((8250.721 + 985.847) / 21215.714)
=0.467808 / 0.435364
=1.0745

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
=(1140.434 - 481.966 - 1674.135) / 22126.953
=-0.045902

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.

AvalonBay Communities has a M-score of -2.70 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Beneish M-Score →
What does a Beneish M-Score of -2.70 mean?
AvalonBay Communities (AVB) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.70 as of Jun. 27, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on AvalonBay Communities and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, AvalonBay Communities ranks #205 out of 764 companies in the REITs industry, placing it in the top 26.8%.
Is AvalonBay Communities' Beneish M-Score too high?
AvalonBay Communities' current Beneish M-Score is -2.70. Based on the distribution chart, AvalonBay Communities ranks #205 out of 764 companies in the REITs industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, AvalonBay Communities has a GF Score™ of 84/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does AvalonBay Communities' Beneish M-Score compare to EQR and ESS?
According to the REITs industry distribution chart, AvalonBay Communities ranks #205 out of 764 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts AvalonBay Communities in the upper half of its industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Beneish M-Score for a REITs company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the REITs industry context. However, Beneish M-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Beneish M-Score mean?
A high Beneish M-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on AvalonBay Communities and its competitors. AvalonBay Communities's current Beneish M-Score is -2.70. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is AvalonBay Communities stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, AvalonBay Communities (AVB) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $207.83, compared to a current price of $190.12 — trading 8.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.70. AvalonBay Communities' overall GF Score™ is 84/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Beneish M-Score calculated?
Beneish M-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For AvalonBay Communities (AVB), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.70 as of Jun. 27, 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.

Is AvalonBay Communities (AVB) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, AvalonBay Communities stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $190.12 is trading 8.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $207.83. GuruFocus considers AvalonBay Communities to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for AVB:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.70
  • GF Value™: $207.83 vs. price of $190.12 (8.5% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 84/100 with 5 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the AVB stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


AvalonBay Communities Business Description

Industry Real EstateREITs
Address 4040 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA, USA, 22203
AvalonBay Communities owns a portfolio of 296 apartment communities with more than 90,000 units and is developing 24 additional properties with approximately 8,600 units. The company focuses on owning large, high-quality properties in major metropolitan areas of New England, New York/New Jersey, Washington, D.C., California, and the Pacific Northwest.
84GF Score

Get the complete analysis for AVB

Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$190.12
Price
$207.83
GF Value