DRCT (Direct Digital Holdings) Beneish M-Score: -4.04 (As of Jul. 06, 2026)


DRCT Direct Digital Holdings Inc DRCT
43 GF Score
Price $2.79
GF Value $20.83
Valuation Possible Value Trap
! 6 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Direct Digital Holdings Beneish M-Score?

Direct Digital Holdings DRCT -2.11% 43 Beneish M-Score is -4.04 as of Jul. 06, 2026. GuruFocus rates DRCT with a GF Score™ of 43/100 and a GF Value™ of $20.83 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 978 Media - Diversified companies, Direct Digital Holdings ranks better than 91.21% 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 -4.04 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

DRCT' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -6.17   Med: -2.25   Max: -0.02
Current: -4.04

During the past 7 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Direct Digital Holdings was -0.02. The lowest was -6.17. And the median was -2.25.


Direct Digital Holdings Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Direct Digital Holdings'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.

Direct Digital Holdings Beneish M-Score Chart

Direct Digital Holdings Annual Data
Trend Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial 0.00 -0.75 -2.25 -4.26 -3.50

Direct Digital Holdings 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 -5.38 -6.17 -2.82 -3.50 -4.04

DRCT vs HAO, DBMM, CNET: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Advertising Agencies subindustry, Direct Digital Holdings'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.


Direct Digital Holdings Beneish M-Score vs Media - Diversified Industry

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

* The bar in red indicates where Direct Digital Holdings's Beneish M-Score falls into.


DRCT
43GF Score
Direct Digital Holdings Inc DRCT
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Direct Digital Holdings 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 Direct Digital Holdings 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 * 0.9188+0.528 * 0.9911+0.404 * 1.1003+0.892 * 0.6896+0.115 * 0.9217
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.213+4.679 * -0.272133-0.327 * 0.7604
=-4.04

* 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 $2.78 Mil.
Revenue was 6.68 + 8.408 + 7.984 + 10.144 = $33.22 Mil.
Gross Profit was 2.262 + 2.25 + 2.214 + 3.561 = $10.29 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $4.40 Mil.
Total Assets was $19.26 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $0.79 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $2.22 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $24.37 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $28.29 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $0.70 Mil.
Net Income was -5.25 + -11.662 + -2.68 + -2.249 = $-21.84 Mil.
Non Operating Income was -1.757 + -7.628 + 0.015 + 0.019 = $-9.35 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was -1.05 + -1.871 + -1.638 + -2.69 = $-7.25 Mil.
Total Receivables was $4.39 Mil.
Revenue was 8.157 + 9.083 + 9.075 + 21.855 = $48.17 Mil.
Gross Profit was 2.393 + 2.947 + 3.514 + 5.931 = $14.79 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $6.88 Mil.
Total Assets was $23.82 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $1.13 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $2.39 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $29.14 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $13.48 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $33.65 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)
=(2.782 / 33.216) / (4.391 / 48.17)
=0.083755 / 0.091156
=0.9188

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)
=(14.785 / 48.17) / (10.287 / 33.216)
=0.306934 / 0.3097
=0.9911

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 - (4.404 + 0.788) / 19.259) / (1 - (6.881 + 1.126) / 23.817)
=0.730412 / 0.663812
=1.1003

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
=33.216 / 48.17
=0.6896

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))
=(2.391 / (2.391 + 1.126)) / (2.215 / (2.215 + 0.788))
=0.679841 / 0.737596
=0.9217

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)
=(24.37 / 33.216) / (29.136 / 48.17)
=0.733683 / 0.604858
=1.213

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)
=((0.695 + 28.285) / 19.259) / ((33.654 + 13.478) / 23.817)
=1.504751 / 1.978923
=0.7604

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
=(-21.841 - -9.351 - -7.249) / 19.259
=-0.272133

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.

Direct Digital Holdings has a M-score of -4.04 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 -4.04 mean?
Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT) has a Beneish M-Score of -4.04 as of Jul. 06, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Direct Digital Holdings and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Direct Digital Holdings ranks #86 out of 978 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, placing it in the top 8.8%.
Is Direct Digital Holdings' Beneish M-Score too high?
Direct Digital Holdings' current Beneish M-Score is -4.04. Based on the distribution chart, Direct Digital Holdings ranks #86 out of 978 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Direct Digital Holdings has a GF Score™ of 43/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Direct Digital Holdings' Beneish M-Score compare to HAO and DBMM?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, Direct Digital Holdings ranks #86 out of 978 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places Direct Digital Holdings in the top 9% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. 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 Media - Diversified company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Media - Diversified 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 Direct Digital Holdings and its competitors. Direct Digital Holdings's current Beneish M-Score is -4.04. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Direct Digital Holdings stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $20.83, compared to a current price of $2.79 — trading 86.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -4.04. Direct Digital Holdings' overall GF Score™ is 43/100 with 6 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 Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT), the current Beneish M-Score is -4.04 as of Jul. 06, 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 Direct Digital Holdings (DRCT) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Direct Digital Holdings stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $2.79 is trading 86.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $20.83. GuruFocus considers Direct Digital Holdings to be Possible Value Trap.

Key valuation signals for DRCT:

  • Beneish M-Score: -4.04
  • GF Value™: $20.83 vs. price of $2.79 (86.6% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 43/100 with 6 warning signs

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


Direct Digital Holdings Business Description

Address 1177 West Loop South, Suite 1310, Houston, TX, USA, 77027
Direct Digital Holdings Inc is an end-to-end, full-service programmatic advertising platform focused on providing advertising technology, data-driven campaign optimization, and other solutions to underserved and less efficient markets on both the buy-side and sell-side of the digital advertising ecosystem. The company operates two reportable segments: sell-side advertising, which includes the results of Colossus Media, and buy-side advertising, which includes the results of Orange 142 and Huddled Masses. All of the company's revenues are attributed to the United States.
43GF Score

Get the complete analysis for DRCT

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

$2.79
Price
$20.83
GF Value