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Wells Fargo (BUE:WFC) Beneish M-Score : -2.59 (As of Apr. 05, 2025)


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What is Wells Fargo Beneish M-Score?

Note: Financial institutions were excluded from the sample in Beneish paper when calculating Beneish M-Score. Thus, the prediction might not fit banks and insurance companies.

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 -2.59 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

BUE:WFC' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.6   Med: -2.46   Max: -2.25
Current: -2.59

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Wells Fargo was -2.25. The lowest was -2.60. And the median was -2.46.


Wells Fargo 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 Wells Fargo 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 * 0.6879+0.528 * 1+0.404 * 0.9994+0.892 * 3.2066+0.115 * 0.8154
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.0022+4.679 * 0.007012-0.327 * 0.8349
=-0.73

* 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 (Dec24) TTM:Last Year (Dec23) TTM:
Total Receivables was ARS42,779,560 Mil.
Revenue was 20581780.206 + 19357882.149 + 18526999.235 + 17577077.799 = ARS76,043,739 Mil.
Gross Profit was 20581780.206 + 19357882.149 + 18526999.235 + 17577077.799 = ARS76,043,739 Mil.
Total Current Assets was ARS0 Mil.
Total Assets was ARS1,949,143,469 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was ARS19,627,330 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was ARS6,997,015 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was ARS34,252,451 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was ARS0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was ARS174,808,782 Mil.
Net Income was 5129790.051 + 4860856.786 + 4396904.937 + 3891507.566 = ARS18,279,059 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = ARS0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 8993040.09 + 3997802.824 + 1835774.974 + -10215312.674 = ARS4,611,305 Mil.
Total Receivables was ARS19,394,364 Mil.
Revenue was 7392558.007 + 7298907.351 + 4927919.961 + 4095014.045 = ARS23,714,399 Mil.
Gross Profit was 7392558.007 + 7298907.351 + 4927919.961 + 4095014.045 = ARS23,714,399 Mil.
Total Current Assets was ARS0 Mil.
Total Assets was ARS697,620,949 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was ARS6,583,196 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was ARS1,795,522 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was ARS10,657,860 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was ARS0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was ARS74,939,268 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)
=(42779560.428 / 76043739.389) / (19394364.017 / 23714399.364)
=0.562565 / 0.817831
=0.6879

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)
=(23714399.364 / 23714399.364) / (76043739.389 / 76043739.389)
=1 / 1
=1

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 - (0 + 19627330.196) / 1949143469.491) / (1 - (0 + 6583196.006) / 697620948.628)
=0.98993 / 0.990563
=0.9994

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
=76043739.389 / 23714399.364
=3.2066

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))
=(1795521.769 / (1795521.769 + 6583196.006)) / (6997014.947 / (6997014.947 + 19627330.196))
=0.214296 / 0.262805
=0.8154

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)
=(34252450.75 / 76043739.389) / (10657859.718 / 23714399.364)
=0.450431 / 0.449426
=1.0022

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)
=((174808781.748 + 0) / 1949143469.491) / ((74939268.067 + 0) / 697620948.628)
=0.089685 / 0.107421
=0.8349

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
=(18279059.34 - 0 - 4611305.214) / 1949143469.491
=0.007012

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.

Wells Fargo has a M-score of -0.73 signals that the company is likely to be a manipulator.


Wells Fargo Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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Wells Fargo Business Description

Address
420 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94104
Wells Fargo is one of the largest banks in the United States, with approximately $1.9 trillion in balance sheet assets. The company has four primary segments: consumer banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and wealth and investment management. It is almost entirely focused on the US.