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VZ (Verizon Communications) Beneish M-Score : -2.70 (As of Jul. 23, 2025)


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What is Verizon Communications Beneish M-Score?

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 -2.7 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

VZ' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.97   Med: -2.7   Max: -1.96
Current: -2.7

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Verizon Communications was -1.96. The lowest was -2.97. And the median was -2.70.


Verizon Communications Beneish M-Score Historical Data

The historical data trend for Verizon Communications'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.

* Premium members only.

Verizon Communications Beneish M-Score Chart

Verizon Communications 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 -2.93 -2.58 -2.65 -2.73 -2.69

Verizon Communications Quarterly Data
Sep20 Dec20 Mar21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 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 -2.63 -2.65 -2.69 -2.70 -

Competitive Comparison of Verizon Communications's Beneish M-Score

For the Telecom Services subindustry, Verizon Communications'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.


Verizon Communications's Beneish M-Score Distribution in the Telecommunication Services Industry

For the Telecommunication Services industry and Communication Services sector, Verizon Communications's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


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Verizon Communications 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 Verizon Communications 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 * 1.0054+0.528 * 1.0077+0.404 * 1.0047+0.892 * 1.0205+0.115 * 0.9858
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.994+4.679 * -0.051591-0.327 * 0.9785
=-2.69

* 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 (Jun25) TTM:Last Year (Jun24) TTM:
Total Receivables was $26,275 Mil.
Revenue was 34504 + 33485 + 35681 + 33330 = $137,000 Mil.
Gross Profit was 20619 + 20429 + 20167 + 20090 = $81,305 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $38,846 Mil.
Total Assets was $383,285 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $132,018 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $18,176 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $33,632 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $60,952 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $143,093 Mil.
Net Income was 5003 + 4879 + 5005 + 3306 = $18,193 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 76 + 127 + 713 + -49 = $867 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 8975 + 7782 + 10432 + 9911 = $37,100 Mil.
Total Receivables was $25,607 Mil.
Revenue was 32796 + 32981 + 35130 + 33336 = $134,243 Mil.
Gross Profit was 20325 + 20109 + 19948 + 19899 = $80,281 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $38,056 Mil.
Total Assets was $379,146 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $131,954 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $17,875 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $33,153 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $60,806 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $145,478 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)
=(26275 / 137000) / (25607 / 134243)
=0.191788 / 0.190751
=1.0054

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)
=(80281 / 134243) / (81305 / 137000)
=0.598027 / 0.593467
=1.0077

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 - (38846 + 132018) / 383285) / (1 - (38056 + 131954) / 379146)
=0.554212 / 0.551598
=1.0047

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
=137000 / 134243
=1.0205

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))
=(17875 / (17875 + 131954)) / (18176 / (18176 + 132018))
=0.119303 / 0.121017
=0.9858

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)
=(33632 / 137000) / (33153 / 134243)
=0.245489 / 0.246963
=0.994

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)
=((143093 + 60952) / 383285) / ((145478 + 60806) / 379146)
=0.532358 / 0.544075
=0.9785

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
=(18193 - 867 - 37100) / 383285
=-0.051591

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.

Verizon Communications has a M-score of -2.69 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.


Verizon Communications Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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Verizon Communications Business Description

Address
1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, USA, 10036
Wireless services account for nearly 75% of Verizon Communications' total service revenue and nearly all of its operating income. The firm serves about 93 million postpaid and 20 million prepaid phone customers via its nationwide network, making it the largest US wireless carrier. Fixed-line telecom operations include local networks in the Northeast, which reach about 30 million homes and businesses, including about 20 million with the Fios fiber optic network. These networks serve about 8 million broadband customers. Verizon also provides telecom services nationwide to enterprise customers, often using a mixture of its own and other carriers' networks. Verizon agreed to acquire Frontier Communications in September 2024.
Executives
Kyle Malady officer: EVP & Chief Technology Officer 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Vandana Venkatesh officer: EVP and General Counsel VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC., 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Craig L. Silliman officer: EVP of PubPolicy & Gen Counsel 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Samantha Hammock officer: EVP & Chief HR Officer 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Joseph J. Russo officer: EVP&Pres-Global Networks&Tech VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC., 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Mary-lee Stillwell officer: SVP and Controller 804 CARNEGIE CENTER, PRINCETON NJ 08540
Vittorio Colao director 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Sowmyanarayan Sampath officer: EVP and Group CEO-VZ Business 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Tami A. Erwin officer: EVP and Group CEO-VZ Business 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Hans Erik Vestberg director, officer: Chairman and CEO 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Manon Brouillette officer: EVP and Group CEO-VZ Consumer 40 AVENUE SPRINGGROVE, MONTREAL Z4 H3C 4M8
Carol B Tome director 55 GLENLAKE PARKWAY, NE, ATLANTA GA 30328
Kumara Guru Gowrappan officer: EVP and Group CEO-VZ Media 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, NEW YORK NY 10036
Laxman Narasimhan director PEPSICO, INC., 700 ANDERSON HILL ROAD, PURCHASE NY 10577
Shellye L Archambeau director 1095 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, 8TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10036