PLCE (Children's Place) Beneish M-Score: -3.27 (As of Aug. 13, 2026)

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PLCE Children's Place Inc PLCE
52 GF Score
Price $2.48
GF Value $4.29
Valuation Possible Value Trap
! 6 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Children's Place Beneish M-Score?

Children's Place PLCE -1.20% 52 Beneish M-Score is -3.27 as of Aug. 13, 2026. GuruFocus rates PLCE with a GF Score™ of 52/100 and a GF Value™ of $4.29 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 995 Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories companies, Children's Place ranks better than 88.94% 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 -3.27 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

PLCE' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -4.27   Med: -2.59   Max: -0.88
Current: -3.27

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Children's Place was -0.88. The lowest was -4.27. And the median was -2.59.


Children's Place Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Children's Place'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.

Children's Place Beneish M-Score Chart

Children's Place Annual Data
Trend Jan17 Jan18 Jan19 Jan20 Jan21 Jan22 Jan23 Jan24 Jan25 Jan26
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.74 -0.88 -4.27 -1.94 -3.32

Children's Place Quarterly Data
Jul21 Oct21 Jan22 Apr22 Jul22 Oct22 Jan23 Apr23 Jul23 Oct23 Jan24 Apr24 Jul24 Oct24 Jan25 Apr25 Jul25 Oct25 Jan26 Apr26
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 -2.08 -2.66 -3.35 -3.32 -3.27

PLCE vs JRSH, VNCE, NCI: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Apparel Manufacturing subindustry, Children's Place'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.


Children's Place Beneish M-Score vs Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories Industry

For the Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Children's Place's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


PLCE
52GF Score
Children's Place Inc PLCE
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Children's Place 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 Children's Place 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 * 0.8466+0.528 * 1.1045+0.404 * 1.3124+0.892 * 0.8687+0.115 * 1.2955
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.1594+4.679 * -0.143643-0.327 * 1.1565
=-3.27

* 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 (Apr26) TTM:Last Year (Apr25) TTM:
Total Receivables was $30 Mil.
Revenue was 215.225 + 329.233 + 339.466 + 298.006 = $1,182 Mil.
Gross Profit was 53.351 + 77.199 + 112.304 + 101.272 = $344 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $403 Mil.
Total Assets was $729 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $300 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $32 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $386 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $452 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $373 Mil.
Net Income was -53.191 + -44.555 + -4.32 + -5.365 = $-107 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = $0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was -53.766 + 75.312 + 6.242 + -30.478 = $-3 Mil.
Total Receivables was $41 Mil.
Revenue was 242.125 + 408.563 + 390.173 + 319.655 = $1,361 Mil.
Gross Profit was 70.783 + 116.585 + 138.341 + 111.794 = $438 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $501 Mil.
Total Assets was $780 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $258 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $36 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $383 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $544 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $220 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)
=(30.403 / 1181.93) / (41.337 / 1360.516)
=0.025723 / 0.030383
=0.8466

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)
=(437.503 / 1360.516) / (344.126 / 1181.93)
=0.321571 / 0.291156
=1.1045

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 - (403.232 + 300.3) / 729.176) / (1 - (500.609 + 258.102) / 779.602)
=0.035168 / 0.026797
=1.3124

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
=1181.93 / 1360.516
=0.8687

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))
=(36.207 / (36.207 + 258.102)) / (31.509 / (31.509 + 300.3))
=0.123024 / 0.094961
=1.2955

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)
=(385.887 / 1181.93) / (383.126 / 1360.516)
=0.326489 / 0.281603
=1.1594

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)
=((373.277 + 452.383) / 729.176) / ((219.677 + 543.609) / 779.602)
=1.132319 / 0.979071
=1.1565

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
=(-107.431 - 0 - -2.69) / 729.176
=-0.143643

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.

Children's Place has a M-score of -3.27 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 -3.27 mean?
Children's Place (PLCE) has a Beneish M-Score of -3.27 as of Aug. 13, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Children's Place and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Children's Place ranks #110 out of 995 companies in the Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories industry, placing it in the top 11.1%.
Is Children's Place's Beneish M-Score too high?
Children's Place's current Beneish M-Score is -3.27. Based on the distribution chart, Children's Place ranks #110 out of 995 companies in the Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, Children's Place has a GF Score™ of 52/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Children's Place's Beneish M-Score compare to JRSH and VNCE?
According to the Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories industry distribution chart, Children's Place ranks #110 out of 995 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places Children's Place in the top 11% 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 Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Manufacturing - Apparel & Accessories 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 Children's Place and its competitors. Children's Place's current Beneish M-Score is -3.27. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Children's Place stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Children's Place (PLCE) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $4.29, compared to a current price of $2.48 — trading 42.2% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -3.27. Children's Place's overall GF Score™ is 52/100 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 Children's Place (PLCE), the current Beneish M-Score is -3.27 as of Aug. 13, 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 Children's Place (PLCE) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Children's Place stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $2.48 is trading 42.2% below its estimated GF Value™ of $4.29. GuruFocus considers Children's Place to be Possible Value Trap.

Key valuation signals for PLCE:

  • Beneish M-Score: -3.27
  • GF Value™: $4.29 vs. price of $2.48 (42.2% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 52/100 with 6 warning signs

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


Children's Place Business Description

Other Exchanges CP5:Germany
Address 500 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, NJ, USA, 07094
Children's Place Inc operate an omni-channel children's specialty portfolio of brands in North America. It designs, contract to manufacture, and sell fashionable, high-quality apparel, accessories and footwear predominantly at value prices under proprietary The Children's Place, Place, Baby Place, Gymboree, Sugar & Jade, and PJ Place brand names. The Company classifies its business into two segments: The Children's Place U.S. and The Children's Place International.
52GF Score

Get the complete analysis for PLCE

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

$2.48
Price
$4.29
GF Value