HFBL (Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana) Beneish M-Score: -2.49 (As of Aug. 18, 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.

HFBL Home Federal Bancorp Inc of louisiana HFBL
60 GF Score
Price $24.20
GF Value $15.67
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 6 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana Beneish M-Score?

Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana HFBL +0.92% 60 Beneish M-Score is -2.49 as of Aug. 18, 2026. GuruFocus rates HFBL with a GF Score™ of 60/100 and a GF Value™ of $15.67 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,395 Banks companies, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana ranks better than 67.17% on this metric.

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 -2.49 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

The historical rank and industry rank for Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:

HFBL' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.05   Med: -2.37   Max: -1.88
Current: -2.49

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana was -1.88. The lowest was -3.05. And the median was -2.37.

HFBL
60GF Score
Home Federal Bancorp Inc of louisiana HFBL
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana 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 Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana 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 * 0.8982+0.528 * 1+0.404 * 1.0027+0.892 * 1.1875+0.115 * 0.8789
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.8023+4.679 * 0.000856-0.327 * 1.3412
=-2.49

* 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 $1.92 Mil.
Revenue was 5.993 + 5.98 + 5.869 + 5.621 = $23.46 Mil.
Gross Profit was 5.993 + 5.98 + 5.869 + 5.621 = $23.46 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $0.00 Mil.
Total Assets was $641.65 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $16.50 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1.37 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $9.15 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $0.00 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $5.56 Mil.
Net Income was 1.472 + 1.675 + 1.599 + 1.18 = $5.93 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = $0.00 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was -1.274 + 2.855 + 2.776 + 1.02 = $5.38 Mil.
 Total Receivables was $1.80 Mil.
Revenue was 5.166 + 5.058 + 4.699 + 4.835 = $19.76 Mil.
Gross Profit was 5.166 + 5.058 + 4.699 + 4.835 = $19.76 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $0.00 Mil.
Total Assets was $619.62 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $17.57 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1.27 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $9.61 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $0.00 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $4.00 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)
=(1.922 / 23.463) / (1.802 / 19.758)
=0.081916 / 0.091204
=0.8982

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)
=(19.758 / 19.758) / (23.463 / 23.463)
=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 + 16.503) / 641.649) / (1 - (0 + 17.567) / 619.624)
=0.97428 / 0.971649
=1.0027

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
=23.463 / 19.758
=1.1875

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))
=(1.268 / (1.268 + 17.567)) / (1.369 / (1.369 + 16.503))
=0.067321 / 0.0766
=0.8789

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)
=(9.152 / 23.463) / (9.606 / 19.758)
=0.390061 / 0.486183
=0.8023

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)
=((5.556 + 0) / 641.649) / ((4 + 0) / 619.624)
=0.008659 / 0.006456
=1.3412

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
=(5.926 - 0 - 5.377) / 641.649
=0.000856

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.

Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana has a M-score of -2.49 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 -2.49 mean?
Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana (HFBL) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.49 as of Aug. 18, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana ranks #458 out of 1395 companies in the Banks industry, placing it in the top 32.8%.
Is Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's Beneish M-Score too high?
Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's current Beneish M-Score is -2.49. Based on the distribution chart, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana ranks #458 out of 1395 companies in the Banks industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana has a GF Score™ of 60/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's Beneish M-Score compare to CLST and NSTS?
According to the Banks industry distribution chart, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana ranks #458 out of 1395 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana 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 Banks company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Banks 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 Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana and its competitors. Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's current Beneish M-Score is -2.49. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana (HFBL) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $15.67, compared to a current price of $24.20 — trading 54.4% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.49. Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana's overall GF Score™ is 60/100 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 Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana (HFBL), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.49 as of Aug. 18, 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 Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana (HFBL) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of $24.20 is trading 54.4% above its estimated GF Value™ of $15.67. GuruFocus considers Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for HFBL:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.49
  • GF Value™: $15.67 vs. price of $24.20 (54.4% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 60/100 with 6 warning signs

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

Home Federal Bancorp of louisiana Business Description

Address 624 Market Street, Shreveport, LA, USA, 71101
Home Federal Bancorp Inc of louisiana operates as a bank holding company. It is a federally chartered stock savings bank, which provides financial services to individuals, corporate entities, and other organizations. Its core activities consist of attracting deposits from the general public and using those funds to originate loans to the residential, commercial and multi-family segments. The company also invests securities held-to-maturity and securities available for sale.
60GF Score

Get the complete analysis for HFBL

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

$24.20
Price
$15.67
GF Value