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Fidelity National Financial (FRA:F1EF) Beneish M-Score : -2.34 (As of Mar. 28, 2025)


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What is Fidelity National Financial 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 -2.34 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

FRA:F1EF' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.18   Med: -2.36   Max: 4.66
Current: -2.34

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Fidelity National Financial was 4.66. The lowest was -3.18. And the median was -2.36.


Fidelity National Financial 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 Fidelity National Financial 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 * 1.3221+0.528 * 1+0.404 * 1.0009+0.892 * 1.1583+0.115 * 0.9304
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9336+4.679 * -0.056078-0.327 * 0.9292
=-2.28

* 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 €13,228 Mil.
Revenue was 3370.195 + 3170.619 + 2842.74 + 2985.4 = €12,369 Mil.
Gross Profit was 3370.195 + 3170.619 + 2842.74 + 2985.4 = €12,369 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €0 Mil.
Total Assets was €91,080 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €500 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €685 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €2,917 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €4,494 Mil.
Net Income was 429.75 + 239.666 + 284.274 + 228.16 = €1,182 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = €0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 1427.725 + 2131.766 + 1266.227 + 1463.72 = €6,289 Mil.
Total Receivables was €8,637 Mil.
Revenue was 3092.124 + 2538.333 + 2790.229 + 2257.478 = €10,678 Mil.
Gross Profit was 3092.124 + 2538.333 + 2790.229 + 2257.478 = €10,678 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €0 Mil.
Total Assets was €73,923 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €473 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €550 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €2,697 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €3,926 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)
=(13227.705 / 12368.954) / (8637.223 / 10678.164)
=1.069428 / 0.808868
=1.3221

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)
=(10678.164 / 10678.164) / (12368.954 / 12368.954)
=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 + 500.42) / 91080.26) / (1 - (0 + 473.172) / 73923.038)
=0.994506 / 0.993599
=1.0009

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
=12368.954 / 10678.164
=1.1583

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))
=(550.025 / (550.025 + 473.172)) / (684.78 / (684.78 + 500.42))
=0.537555 / 0.577776
=0.9304

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)
=(2916.901 / 12368.954) / (2697.355 / 10678.164)
=0.235824 / 0.252605
=0.9336

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)
=((4494.23 + 0) / 91080.26) / ((3925.677 + 0) / 73923.038)
=0.049344 / 0.053105
=0.9292

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
=(1181.85 - 0 - 6289.438) / 91080.26
=-0.056078

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.

Fidelity National Financial has a M-score of -2.28 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.


Fidelity National Financial Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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Fidelity National Financial Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
601 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL, USA, 32204
Fidelity National Financial Inc is a provider of (i) title insurance, escrow and other title-related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances and home warranty and (ii) transaction services to the real estate and mortgage industries. It operates in three segments: Title, F&G, Corporate and Other. The title segment that derives the majority of revenue consists of the operations of title insurance underwriters and related businesses, which provide title insurance and escrow and other title-related services including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, and home warranty products. Substantially all of the company's revenue is generated in the United States.