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Mercury General (FRA:MCG) Beneish M-Score : -2.77 (As of Jun. 05, 2024)


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What is Mercury General 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 -2.77 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

FRA:MCG' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.18   Med: -2.67   Max: -2.46
Current: -2.77

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Mercury General was -2.46. The lowest was -3.18. And the median was -2.67.


Mercury General 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 Mercury General 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 * 0.7927+0.528 * 1+0.404 * 1.0063+0.892 * 1.2345+0.115 * 0.9899
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1+4.679 * -0.052969-0.327 * 1.283
=-2.80

* 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 (Dec23) TTM:Last Year (Dec22) TTM:
Total Receivables was €608 Mil.
Revenue was €4,245 Mil.
Gross Profit was €4,245 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €0 Mil.
Total Assets was €6,514 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €152 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €66 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €0 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €539 Mil.
Net Income was €88 Mil.
Gross Profit was €18 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was €415 Mil.
Total Receivables was €622 Mil.
Revenue was €3,439 Mil.
Gross Profit was €3,439 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €0 Mil.
Total Assets was €6,149 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €181 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €78 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €0 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €0 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €397 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)
=(608.297 / 4245.372) / (621.623 / 3439.054)
=0.143285 / 0.180754
=0.7927

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)
=(3439.054 / 3439.054) / (4245.372 / 4245.372)
=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 + 151.845) / 6513.815) / (1 - (0 + 180.894) / 6149.393)
=0.976689 / 0.970583
=1.0063

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
=4245.372 / 3439.054
=1.2345

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))
=(77.776 / (77.776 + 180.894)) / (66.244 / (66.244 + 151.845))
=0.300677 / 0.303748
=0.9899

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)
=(0 / 4245.372) / (0 / 3439.054)
=0 / 0
=1

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)
=((539.159 + 0) / 6513.815) / ((396.72 + 0) / 6149.393)
=0.082772 / 0.064514
=1.283

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
=(88.34 - 17.981 - 415.39) / 6513.815
=-0.052969

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.

Mercury General has a M-score of -2.80 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.


Mercury General Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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Mercury General (FRA:MCG) Business Description

Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
4484 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 90010
Mercury General Corp is an insurance holding company operating in the property-casualty market, where it focuses on low-cost auto insurance for individuals, with operations in nearly 13 United States of America states. However, its business--about 75% of premiums--comes from California, where it was established by George Joseph, the current company chairman, and majority owner. Its insurance is distributed exclusively through independent agents.