Post Holdings (STU:2PO) Beneish M-Score: -2.69 (As of Jul. 04, 2026)


STU:2PO Post Holdings Inc STU:2PO
71 GF Score
Price €80.00
GF Value €116.06
Valuation Possible Value Trap
! 3 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Post Holdings Beneish M-Score?

Post Holdings STU:2PO -1.23% 71 Beneish M-Score is -2.69 as of Jul. 04, 2026. GuruFocus rates STU:2PO with a GF Score™ of 71/100 and a GF Value™ of €116.06 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,847 Consumer Packaged Goods companies, Post Holdings ranks better than 64.48% 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 -2.69 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

STU:2PO' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.83   Med: -2.58   Max: -2.1
Current: -2.69

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Post Holdings was -2.10. The lowest was -2.83. And the median was -2.58.


Post Holdings Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Post Holdings'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.

Post Holdings Beneish M-Score Chart

Post Holdings Annual Data
Trend Sep16 Sep17 Sep18 Sep19 Sep20 Sep21 Sep22 Sep23 Sep24 Sep25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.56 -2.42 -2.69 -2.66 -2.46

Post Holdings Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
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 -2.55 -2.45 -2.46 -2.57 -2.69

STU:2PO vs MZTI, FRPT, CENT: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Packaged Foods subindustry, Post Holdings'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.


Post Holdings Beneish M-Score vs Consumer Packaged Goods Industry

For the Consumer Packaged Goods industry and Consumer Defensive sector, Post Holdings's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


STU:2PO
71GF Score
Post Holdings Inc STU:2PO
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Post Holdings 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 Post Holdings 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 * 0.9838+0.528 * 1.0016+0.404 * 0.989+0.892 * 0.9928+0.115 * 0.9746
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9568+4.679 * -0.048418-0.327 * 1.0824
=-2.75

* 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 €630 Mil.
Revenue was 1767.108 + 1857.108 + 1914.444 + 1720.388 = €7,259 Mil.
Gross Profit was 534.224 + 545.279 + 512.989 + 516.905 = €2,109 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €1,775 Mil.
Total Assets was €11,225 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €2,294 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €489 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €1,156 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €957 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €6,599 Mil.
Net Income was 70.843 + 82.667 + 43.452 + 94.33 = €291 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 3.2 + -9.394 + -20.022 + -2.428 = €-29 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 209.589 + 201.288 + 256.708 + 195.855 = €863 Mil.
Total Receivables was €645 Mil.
Revenue was 1805.692 + 1885.839 + 1811.1 + 1809.413 = €7,312 Mil.
Gross Profit was 504.865 + 568.512 + 518.435 + 536.312 = €2,128 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €2,005 Mil.
Total Assets was €11,839 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €2,203 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €455 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €1,217 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €940 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €6,424 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)
=(630.412 / 7259.048) / (645.465 / 7312.044)
=0.086845 / 0.088274
=0.9838

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)
=(2128.124 / 7312.044) / (2109.397 / 7259.048)
=0.291044 / 0.290589
=1.0016

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 - (1774.807 + 2294.066) / 11225.278) / (1 - (2004.937 + 2202.61) / 11839.167)
=0.637526 / 0.644608
=0.989

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
=7259.048 / 7312.044
=0.9928

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))
=(455.101 / (455.101 + 2202.61)) / (488.957 / (488.957 + 2294.066))
=0.171238 / 0.175693
=0.9746

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)
=(1156.173 / 7259.048) / (1217.201 / 7312.044)
=0.159273 / 0.166465
=0.9568

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)
=((6599.171 + 957.468) / 11225.278) / ((6423.755 + 939.615) / 11839.167)
=0.673181 / 0.62195
=1.0824

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
=(291.292 - -28.644 - 863.44) / 11225.278
=-0.048418

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.

Post Holdings has a M-score of -2.75 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 -2.69 mean?
Post Holdings (STU:2PO) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.69 as of Jul. 04, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Post Holdings and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Post Holdings ranks #656 out of 1847 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, placing it in the top 35.5%.
Is Post Holdings' Beneish M-Score too high?
Post Holdings' current Beneish M-Score is -2.69. Based on the distribution chart, Post Holdings ranks #656 out of 1847 companies in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Post Holdings 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 Post Holdings' Beneish M-Score compare to MZTI and FRPT?
According to the Consumer Packaged Goods industry distribution chart, Post Holdings ranks #656 out of 1847 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Post Holdings 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 Consumer Packaged Goods company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Consumer Packaged Goods 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 Post Holdings and its competitors. Post Holdings's current Beneish M-Score is -2.69. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Post Holdings stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Post Holdings (STU:2PO) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is €116.06, compared to a current price of €80.00 — trading 31.1% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.69. Post Holdings' 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 Post Holdings (STU:2PO), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.69 as of Jul. 04, 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 Post Holdings (STU:2PO) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Post Holdings stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of €80.00 is trading 31.1% below its estimated GF Value™ of €116.06. GuruFocus considers Post Holdings to be Possible Value Trap.

Key valuation signals for STU:2PO:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.69
  • GF Value™: €116.06 vs. price of €80.00 (31.1% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 71/100 with 3 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the STU:2PO stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Post Holdings Business Description

Other Exchanges POST:USA0KJZ:UK
Address 2503 South Hanley Road, St. Louis, MO, USA, 63144
Post Holdings Inc. is a consumer packaged goods holding company with products sold through grocery, club, and drug stores, mass merchandisers, foodservice, food ingredient, and eCommerce. It operates through four reportable segments: Post Consumer Brands, focused on North American ready-to-eat cereal and granola, pet food, and nut butters; Weetabix, focused on U.K. ready-to-eat cereal, muesli, and protein-based shakes; Foodservice, focused on egg and potato products; and Refrigerated Retail, focused on side dish, egg, cheese, and sausage products. Products are sold across channels, including retailers, wholesalers, convenience stores, pet supply retailers, drug store customers, military and national restaurant chains, with revenues largely generated in the U.S.
71GF Score

Get the complete analysis for STU:2PO

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

€80.00
Price
€116.06
GF Value