Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (FRA:HCM) Beneish M-Score: -2.55 (As of Aug. 09, 2026)

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Reviewed by: Charlie Tian Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

FRA:HCM Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd FRA:HCM
90 GF Score
Price €30.27
GF Value €24.13
Valuation Modestly Overvalued
! 1 Warning Sign
View Full Analysis

What is Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Beneish M-Score?

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co FRA:HCM -0.33% 90 Beneish M-Score is -2.55 as of Aug. 09, 2026. GuruFocus rates FRA:HCM with a GF Score™ of 90/100 and a GF Value™ of €24.13 (Modestly Overvalued). The stock has 1 warning sign investors should review. Among 206 Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery companies, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co ranks better than 58.25% 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 -2.55 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

The historical rank and industry rank for Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:

FRA:HCM' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.15   Med: -2.5   Max: -1.99
Current: -2.55

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co was -1.99. The lowest was -3.15. And the median was -2.50.


Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Hitachi Construction Machinery Co'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.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Beneish M-Score Chart

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Annual Data
Trend Mar17 Mar18 Mar19 Mar20 Mar21 Mar22 Mar23 Mar24 Mar25 Mar26
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.23 -2.15 -2.49 -2.72 -2.56

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Quarterly Data
Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26 Jun26
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 -2.79 -2.55 -2.60 -2.56 -2.55

FRA:HCM vs CAT, DE, PCAR: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery subindustry, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co'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.


Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Beneish M-Score vs Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery Industry

For the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery industry and Industrials sector, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's Beneish M-Score falls into.


FRA:HCM
90GF Score
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd FRA:HCM
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co 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 Hitachi Construction Machinery Co 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 * 0.9922+0.528 * 1.004+0.404 * 1.0804+0.892 * 0.9452+0.115 * 0.988
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9856+4.679 * -0.037411-0.327 * 0.9059
=-2.64

* 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 (Jun26) TTM:Last Year (Jun25) TTM:
Total Receivables was €1,375 Mil.
Revenue was 1776.979 + 2322.966 + 1781.769 + 2004.627 = €7,886 Mil.
Gross Profit was 599.761 + 639.368 + 560.086 + 619.177 = €2,418 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €5,643 Mil.
Total Assets was €10,154 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €3,076 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €435 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €1,616 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €3,308 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €1,276 Mil.
Net Income was 151.372 + 54.642 + 139.229 + 152.523 = €498 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = €0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 93.489 + 346.31 + 186.756 + 251.095 = €878 Mil.
Total Receivables was €1,466 Mil.
Revenue was 1837.122 + 2358.198 + 2021.208 + 2127.296 = €8,344 Mil.
Gross Profit was 542.54 + 707.345 + 647.514 + 671.625 = €2,569 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €5,975 Mil.
Total Assets was €10,667 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €3,295 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €460 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €1,734 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €3,703 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €1,612 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)
=(1374.584 / 7886.341) / (1465.823 / 8343.824)
=0.174299 / 0.175678
=0.9922

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)
=(2569.024 / 8343.824) / (2418.392 / 7886.341)
=0.307895 / 0.306656
=1.004

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 - (5642.583 + 3075.664) / 10154.418) / (1 - (5975.494 + 3295.006) / 10666.824)
=0.141433 / 0.130903
=1.0804

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
=7886.341 / 8343.824
=0.9452

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))
=(460.129 / (460.129 + 3295.006)) / (435.436 / (435.436 + 3075.664))
=0.122533 / 0.124017
=0.988

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)
=(1615.643 / 7886.341) / (1734.357 / 8343.824)
=0.204866 / 0.207861
=0.9856

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)
=((1275.934 + 3307.584) / 10154.418) / ((1611.598 + 3703.161) / 10666.824)
=0.451382 / 0.498251
=0.9059

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
=(497.766 - 0 - 877.65) / 10154.418
=-0.037411

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.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co has a M-score of -2.64 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 -2.55 mean?
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (FRA:HCM) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.55 as of Aug. 09, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Hitachi Construction Machinery Co and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co ranks #86 out of 206 companies in the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery industry, placing it in the top 41.7%.
Is Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's Beneish M-Score too high?
Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's current Beneish M-Score is -2.55. Based on the distribution chart, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co ranks #86 out of 206 companies in the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co has a GF Score™ of 90/100 and is considered Modestly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's Beneish M-Score compare to CAT and DE?
According to the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery industry distribution chart, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co ranks #86 out of 206 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Hitachi Construction Machinery Co 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 Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery 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 Hitachi Construction Machinery Co and its competitors. Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's current Beneish M-Score is -2.55. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Hitachi Construction Machinery Co stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (FRA:HCM) is currently considered Modestly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €24.13, compared to a current price of €30.27 — trading 25.4% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.55. Hitachi Construction Machinery Co's overall GF Score™ is 90/100 with 1 warning sign 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 Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (FRA:HCM), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.55 as of Aug. 09, 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 Hitachi Construction Machinery Co (FRA:HCM) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of €30.27 is trading 25.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of €24.13. GuruFocus considers Hitachi Construction Machinery Co to be Modestly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for FRA:HCM:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.55
  • GF Value™: €24.13 vs. price of €30.27 (25.4% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 90/100 with 1 warning sign

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


Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Business Description

Address 16-1, Higashiueno 2-chome, Taito-ku, Tokyo, JPN, 110-0015
Hitachi Construction Machinery manufactures and sells construction and mining machinery, and provides related services such as parts supply, rentals, and others. HCM was established in 1970 as a subsidiary of Hitachi, but its origins date back to 1949 when it introduced Japan's first mechanical excavator. The company's main products include hydraulic excavators for mining and construction, rigid dump trucks, and wheel loaders. As of August 2022, Hitachi is no longer the parent company of HCM, after selling 26% of its stake to HCJI Holdings, a joint venture between Itochu and Japan Industrial Partners. Currently, Hitachi has a 25.42% stake in Hitachi Construction Machinery as an equity-method affiliate. HCM is based in Tokyo.
90GF Score

Get the complete analysis for FRA:HCM

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

€30.27
Price
€24.13
GF Value