AstraZeneca (HAM:ZEG) Beneish M-Score: -2.59 (As of Jun. 26, 2026)


HAM:ZEG AstraZeneca PLC HAM:ZEG
87 GF Score
Price €163.40
GF Value €155.73
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 4 Warning Signs
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What is AstraZeneca Beneish M-Score?

AstraZeneca HAM:ZEG +1.59% 87 Beneish M-Score is -2.59 as of Jun. 26, 2026. GuruFocus rates HAM:ZEG with a GF Score™ of 87/100 and a GF Value™ of €155.73 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 911 Drug Manufacturers companies, AstraZeneca ranks better than 57.96% 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 -2.59 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

HAM:ZEG' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.77   Med: -2.58   Max: -2.07
Current: -2.59

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of AstraZeneca was -2.07. The lowest was -2.77. And the median was -2.58.


AstraZeneca Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for AstraZeneca'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.

AstraZeneca Beneish M-Score Chart

AstraZeneca Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.07 -2.63 -2.68 -2.59 -2.54

AstraZeneca 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 -2.52 -2.50 -2.55 -2.54 -2.59

HAM:ZEG vs LLY, JNJ, ABBV: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Drug Manufacturers - General subindustry, AstraZeneca'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.


AstraZeneca Beneish M-Score vs Drug Manufacturers Industry

For the Drug Manufacturers industry and Healthcare sector, AstraZeneca's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


HAM:ZEG
87GF Score
AstraZeneca PLC HAM:ZEG
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

AstraZeneca 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 AstraZeneca 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 * 0.9781+0.528 * 0.9967+0.404 * 0.9546+0.892 * 1.0178+0.115 * 1.0803
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9283+4.679 * -0.033284-0.327 * 0.9566
=-2.62

* 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 €12,202 Mil.
Revenue was 13224.12 + 13239.562 + 12942.732 + 12534.219 = €51,941 Mil.
Gross Profit was 10907.65 + 10576.79 + 10556.28 + 10390.128 = €42,431 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €25,615 Mil.
Total Assets was €98,623 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €12,924 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €4,788 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €17,998 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €28,173 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €22,455 Mil.
Net Income was 2664.2 + 1986.404 + 2158.116 + 2124.15 = €8,933 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = €0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 2905.535 + 2000.068 + 4374.168 + 2935.662 = €12,215 Mil.
Total Receivables was €12,256 Mil.
Revenue was 12568.9 + 14220.905 + 12222.065 + 12019.402 = €51,031 Mil.
Gross Profit was 10495.975 + 11618.53 + 9446.084 + 9991.395 = €41,552 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €24,179 Mil.
Total Assets was €98,284 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €11,380 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €4,695 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €19,049 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €26,944 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €25,796 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)
=(12201.69 / 51940.633) / (12256.25 / 51031.272)
=0.234916 / 0.240171
=0.9781

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)
=(41551.984 / 51031.272) / (42430.848 / 51940.633)
=0.814246 / 0.81691
=0.9967

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 - (25615.245 + 12923.965) / 98622.975) / (1 - (24178.575 + 11380.275) / 98284.025)
=0.609227 / 0.638203
=0.9546

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
=51940.633 / 51031.272
=1.0178

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))
=(4694.878 / (4694.878 + 11380.275)) / (4788.473 / (4788.473 + 12923.965))
=0.292058 / 0.270345
=1.0803

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)
=(17998.18 / 51940.633) / (19049.247 / 51031.272)
=0.346514 / 0.373286
=0.9283

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)
=((22454.535 + 28173.05) / 98622.975) / ((25796.4 + 26944.325) / 98284.025)
=0.513345 / 0.536615
=0.9566

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
=(8932.87 - 0 - 12215.433) / 98622.975
=-0.033284

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.

AstraZeneca has a M-score of -2.62 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 -2.59 mean?
AstraZeneca (HAM:ZEG) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.59 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on AstraZeneca and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, AstraZeneca ranks #383 out of 911 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry, placing it in the top 42%.
Is AstraZeneca's Beneish M-Score too high?
AstraZeneca's current Beneish M-Score is -2.59. Based on the distribution chart, AstraZeneca ranks #383 out of 911 companies in the Drug Manufacturers industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, AstraZeneca has a GF Score™ of 87/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does AstraZeneca's Beneish M-Score compare to LLY and JNJ?
According to the Drug Manufacturers industry distribution chart, AstraZeneca ranks #383 out of 911 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts AstraZeneca 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 Drug Manufacturers company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Drug Manufacturers 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 AstraZeneca and its competitors. AstraZeneca's current Beneish M-Score is -2.59. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is AstraZeneca stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, AstraZeneca (HAM:ZEG) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is €155.73, compared to a current price of €163.40 — trading 4.9% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.59. AstraZeneca's overall GF Score™ is 87/100 with 4 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 AstraZeneca (HAM:ZEG), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.59 as of Jun. 26, 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 AstraZeneca (HAM:ZEG) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, AstraZeneca stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of €163.40 is trading 4.9% above its estimated GF Value™ of €155.73. GuruFocus considers AstraZeneca to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for HAM:ZEG:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.59
  • GF Value™: €155.73 vs. price of €163.40 (4.9% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 87/100 with 4 warning signs

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


AstraZeneca Business Description

Address 1 Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, GBR, CB2 0AA
A merger between Astra of Sweden and Zeneca of the United Kingdom formed AstraZeneca in 1999. The firm sells branded drugs across a number of major therapeutic areas, including oncology (over 40% of total revenue), cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic (over 20%), rare disease (16%), and respiratory and immunology (15%). The majority of sales comes from international markets, with the United States representing close to one-third of its sales.
87GF Score

Get the complete analysis for HAM:ZEG

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

€163.40
Price
€155.73
GF Value