The Standard Group (NAI:SGL) Beneish M-Score: -4.08 (As of Jul. 09, 2026)


NAI:SGL The Standard Group PLC NAI:SGL
42 GF Score
Price KES5.98
GF Value KES3.43
Valuation Significantly Overvalued
! 7 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is The Standard Group Beneish M-Score?

The Standard Group NAI:SGL -7.43% 42 Beneish M-Score is -4.08 as of Jul. 09, 2026. GuruFocus rates NAI:SGL with a GF Score™ of 42/100 and a GF Value™ of KES3.43 (Significantly Overvalued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 978 Media - Diversified companies, The Standard Group ranks better than 91.51% 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 -4.08 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

NAI:SGL' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -4.2   Med: -3.17   Max: -2.37
Current: -4.08

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of The Standard Group was -2.37. The lowest was -4.20. And the median was -3.17.


The Standard Group Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for The Standard Group'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.

The Standard Group Beneish M-Score Chart

The Standard Group Annual Data
Trend Dec15 Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.82 -2.51 -3.78 -4.20 -4.08

The Standard Group Semi-Annual Data
Dec14 Dec15 Jun16 Dec16 Jun17 Dec17 Dec18 Jun19 Dec19 Jun20 Dec20 Jun21 Dec21 Jun22 Dec22 Jun23 Dec23 Jun24 Dec24 Jun25
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 0.00 -4.20 0.00 -4.08 0.00

NAI:SGL vs NYT, WLY: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Publishing subindustry, The Standard Group'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.


The Standard Group Beneish M-Score vs Media - Diversified Industry

For the Media - Diversified industry and Communication Services sector, The Standard Group's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


NAI:SGL
42GF Score
The Standard Group PLC NAI:SGL
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

The Standard Group 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 The Standard Group 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 * 1.1898+0.528 * 0.9897+0.404 * 1.055+0.892 * 0.774+0.115 * 1.0104
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.5255+4.679 * -0.303006-0.327 * 1.2472
=-4.08

* 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 KES1,694 Mil.
Revenue was KES1,843 Mil.
Gross Profit was KES1,276 Mil.
Total Current Assets was KES1,959 Mil.
Total Assets was KES3,836 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was KES1,359 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was KES184 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was KES797 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was KES4,996 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was KES224 Mil.
Net Income was KES-1,021 Mil.
Gross Profit was KES0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was KES141 Mil.
Total Receivables was KES1,839 Mil.
Revenue was KES2,381 Mil.
Gross Profit was KES1,632 Mil.
Total Current Assets was KES2,035 Mil.
Total Assets was KES4,097 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was KES1,537 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was KES211 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was KES675 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was KES4,172 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was KES298 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)
=(1693.902 / 1843.206) / (1839.439 / 2381.425)
=0.918998 / 0.772411
=1.1898

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)
=(1631.545 / 2381.425) / (1275.992 / 1843.206)
=0.685113 / 0.692268
=0.9897

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 - (1958.855 + 1359.371) / 3836.334) / (1 - (2035.277 + 1537.393) / 4097.156)
=0.135053 / 0.128012
=1.055

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
=1843.206 / 2381.425
=0.774

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))
=(210.909 / (210.909 + 1537.393)) / (184.306 / (184.306 + 1359.371))
=0.120636 / 0.119394
=1.0104

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)
=(796.506 / 1843.206) / (674.575 / 2381.425)
=0.432131 / 0.283265
=1.5255

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)
=((224.483 + 4996.409) / 3836.334) / ((298.496 + 4172.292) / 4097.156)
=1.360907 / 1.091193
=1.2472

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
=(-1021.398 - 0 - 141.033) / 3836.334
=-0.303006

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.

The Standard Group has a M-score of -4.08 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 -4.08 mean?
The Standard Group (NAI:SGL) has a Beneish M-Score of -4.08 as of Jul. 09, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on The Standard Group and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, The Standard Group ranks #83 out of 978 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, placing it in the top 8.5%.
Is The Standard Group's Beneish M-Score too high?
The Standard Group's current Beneish M-Score is -4.08. Based on the distribution chart, The Standard Group ranks #83 out of 978 companies in the Media - Diversified industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, The Standard Group has a GF Score™ of 42/100 and is considered Significantly Overvalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Standard Group's Beneish M-Score compare to NYT and WLY?
According to the Media - Diversified industry distribution chart, The Standard Group ranks #83 out of 978 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places The Standard Group in the top 9% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. 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 Media - Diversified company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Media - Diversified 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 The Standard Group and its competitors. The Standard Group's current Beneish M-Score is -4.08. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is The Standard Group stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Standard Group (NAI:SGL) is currently considered Significantly Overvalued. The stock's GF Value™ is KES3.43, compared to a current price of KES5.98 — trading 74.3% above its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -4.08. The Standard Group's overall GF Score™ is 42/100 with 7 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 The Standard Group (NAI:SGL), the current Beneish M-Score is -4.08 as of Jul. 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 The Standard Group (NAI:SGL) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Standard Group stock appears to be overvalued. The current stock price of KES5.98 is trading 74.3% above its estimated GF Value™ of KES3.43. GuruFocus considers The Standard Group to be Significantly Overvalued.

Key valuation signals for NAI:SGL:

  • Beneish M-Score: -4.08
  • GF Value™: KES3.43 vs. price of KES5.98 (74.3% above fair value)
  • GF Score™: 42/100 with 7 warning signs

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


The Standard Group Business Description

Address Mombasa Road, P.O. Box 30080, The Standard Group Centre, Nairobi, KEN, 00100
The Standard Group PLC is a multimedia media company in Kenya. The company gathers and shares information through print, Television, Radio, and Digital Media. The company provides a wide range of media products: print titles like The Standard, The Nairobian, and The Standard Courier; radio stations including Radio Maisha, Spice FM, Vybez Radio, and Berur FM; TV channels such as KTN Home, KTN News, BTV, and KTN Farmers TV; and digital services like the E-paper, Reader Revenue, Standardmedia. co.ke, Digger Classifieds, and Value Added Services. The segments of the company are Print and Broadcast.
42GF Score

Get the complete analysis for NAI:SGL

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

KES5.98
Price
KES3.43
GF Value