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 -2.62 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.
The historical rank and industry rank for Paylocity Holding's Beneish M-Score or its related term are showing as below:
PCTY'
s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.75 Med: -2.27 Max: -1.13
Current: -2.62
During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Paylocity Holding was -1.13. The lowest was -2.75. And the median was -2.27.
Paylocity Holding Beneish M-Score Related Terms
Paylocity Holding Beneish M-Score Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Paylocity Holding'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.
PCTY vs PEGA, PAYC, IDCC: Beneish M-Score Comparison
For the Software - Application subindustry, Paylocity Holding'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.
Paylocity Holding Beneish M-Score vs Software Industry
For the Software industry and Technology sector, Paylocity Holding's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Paylocity Holding's Beneish M-Score falls into.
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 Paylocity Holding 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 * 0.9959
+
0.528 * 0.9909
+
0.404 * 0.9697
+
0.892 * 1.1131
+
0.115 * 0.9318
-
0.172 * SGAI
+
4.679 * TATA
-
0.327 * LVGI
-
0.172 * 0.9722
+
4.679 * -0.046105
-
0.327 * 1.0086
=
-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.
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.
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))
=
(93.831 / (93.831 + 91.555))
/
(109.006 / (109.006 + 91.676))
=
0.506139
/
0.543178
=
0.9318
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
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
=
(258.044 - 1.129
-
507.928)
/
5444.375
=
-0.046105
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.
Paylocity Holding has a M-score of -2.62 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.
Paylocity Holding (PCTY) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.62 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Paylocity Holding and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #1169 out of 2633 companies in the Software industry, placing it in the top 44.4%.
Is Paylocity Holding's Beneish M-Score too high?
Paylocity Holding's current Beneish M-Score is -2.62. Based on the distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #1169 out of 2633 companies in the Software industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Paylocity Holding has a GF Score™ of 71/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Paylocity Holding's Beneish M-Score compare to PEGA and PAYC?
According to the Software industry distribution chart, Paylocity Holding ranks #1169 out of 2633 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Paylocity Holding 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 Software company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Software 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 Paylocity Holding and its competitors. Paylocity Holding's current Beneish M-Score is -2.62. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Paylocity Holding stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paylocity Holding (PCTY) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $225.43, compared to a current price of $104.11 — trading 53.8% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.62. Paylocity Holding's overall GF Score™ is 71/100 with 3 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 Paylocity Holding (PCTY), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.62 as of Jun. 25, 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 Paylocity Holding (PCTY) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Paylocity Holding stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $104.11 is trading 53.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of $225.43.
GuruFocus considers Paylocity Holding to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for PCTY:
Beneish M-Score: -2.62
GF Value™: $225.43 vs. price of $104.11 (53.8% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the PCTY stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Paylocity is a cloud-based human capital management provider offering payroll, compliance, and human resources management solutions. With the addition of expense and IT management modules, Paylocity unifies back-office operations spanning HR, finance, and IT on a single platform and bills customers on a subscription basis. The firm's customer base skews toward the midmarket and is primarily based in the US. As of fiscal 2025, Paylocity has nearly 42,000 customers.
71GF Score
Get the complete analysis for PCTY
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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