Belden (STU:QCTA) Beneish M-Score: -2.50 (As of Aug. 02, 2026)

Author: Vera Yuan Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Vera Yuan
Director of Data and Quant Analytics at GuruFocus
Focused on building reliable datasets, financial models, and research tools for value-minded investors. Committed to turning complex data into practical guidance for value-investing and long-term wealth.
Reviewed by: Charlie Tian Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Charlie Tian
Founder & CEO of GuruFocus
Dr. Charlie Tian is the founder and CEO of GuruFocus.com, a leading global investment research platform established in 2004. With a Ph.D. in physics, Dr. Tian transitioned from science to finance, applying a data-driven, disciplined approach to value investing.

STU:QCTA Belden Inc STU:QCTA
70 GF Score
Price €106.00
GF Value €107.95
Valuation Fairly Valued
View Full Analysis

What is Belden Beneish M-Score?

Belden STU:QCTA +20.45% 70 Beneish M-Score is -2.50 as of Aug. 02, 2026. GuruFocus rates STU:QCTA with a GF Score™ of 70/100 and a GF Value™ of €107.95 (Fairly Valued). Among 2,401 Hardware companies, Belden ranks better than 53.69% 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 -2.5 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

STU:QCTA' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -4.04   Med: -2.63   Max: -2.21
Current: -2.5

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Belden was -2.21. The lowest was -4.04. And the median was -2.63.


Belden Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Belden'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.

Belden Beneish M-Score Chart

Belden Annual Data
Trend Dec16 Dec17 Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.63 -2.38 -2.71 -2.61 -2.56

Belden Quarterly Data
Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26 Jun26
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 -2.51 -2.63 -2.56 -2.45 -2.50

STU:QCTA vs EXTR, ONDS, VISN: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Communication Equipment subindustry, Belden'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.


Belden Beneish M-Score vs Hardware Industry

For the Hardware industry and Technology sector, Belden's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


STU:QCTA
70GF Score
Belden Inc STU:QCTA
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Belden 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 Belden 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 * 1.1396+0.528 * 1.0127+0.404 * 0.9232+0.892 * 1.0321+0.115 * 1.0325
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9626+4.679 * -0.035278-0.327 * 0.9473
=-2.48

* 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 (Jun26) TTM:Last Year (Jun25) TTM:
Total Receivables was €464 Mil.
Revenue was 651.136 + 602.364 + 614.982 + 594.884 = €2,463 Mil.
Gross Profit was 254.866 + 223.246 + 225.085 + 224.245 = €927 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €1,210 Mil.
Total Assets was €3,096 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €596 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €117 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €478 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €567 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €1,145 Mil.
Net Income was 59.489 + 44.138 + 57.977 + 48.3 = €210 Mil.
Non Operating Income was -0.396 + -1.496 + -1.018 + -0.404 = €-3 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 112.166 + -16.146 + 136.971 + 89.465 = €322 Mil.
Total Receivables was €394 Mil.
Revenue was 582.617 + 577.996 + 636.07 + 590.088 = €2,387 Mil.
Gross Profit was 224.178 + 227.402 + 238.574 + 219.848 = €910 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €1,060 Mil.
Total Assets was €2,948 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €556 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €114 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €482 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €534 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €1,186 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)
=(463.65 / 2463.366) / (394.211 / 2386.771)
=0.188218 / 0.165165
=1.1396

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)
=(910.002 / 2386.771) / (927.442 / 2463.366)
=0.381269 / 0.376494
=1.0127

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 - (1209.854 + 595.7) / 3096.465) / (1 - (1060.028 + 556.45) / 2947.503)
=0.416898 / 0.451577
=0.9232

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
=2463.366 / 2386.771
=1.0321

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))
=(113.622 / (113.622 + 556.45)) / (117.052 / (117.052 + 595.7))
=0.169567 / 0.164225
=1.0325

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)
=(478.483 / 2463.366) / (481.62 / 2386.771)
=0.19424 / 0.201787
=0.9626

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)
=((1145.09 + 566.618) / 3096.465) / ((1186.229 + 533.72) / 2947.503)
=0.552794 / 0.583527
=0.9473

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
=(209.904 - -3.314 - 322.456) / 3096.465
=-0.035278

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.

Belden has a M-score of -2.48 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 -2.50 mean?
Belden (STU:QCTA) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.50 as of Aug. 02, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Belden and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Belden ranks #1112 out of 2401 companies in the Hardware industry, placing it in the top 46.3%.
Is Belden's Beneish M-Score too high?
Belden's current Beneish M-Score is -2.50. Based on the distribution chart, Belden ranks #1112 out of 2401 companies in the Hardware industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Belden has a GF Score™ of 70/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Belden's Beneish M-Score compare to EXTR and ONDS?
According to the Hardware industry distribution chart, Belden ranks #1112 out of 2401 companies for Beneish M-Score. This puts Belden 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 Hardware company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Hardware 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 Belden and its competitors. Belden's current Beneish M-Score is -2.50. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Belden stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Belden (STU:QCTA) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is €107.95, compared to a current price of €106.00 — trading 1.8% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.50. Belden's overall GF Score™ is 70/100. 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 Belden (STU:QCTA), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.50 as of Aug. 02, 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 Belden (STU:QCTA) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Belden stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of €106.00 is trading 1.8% below its estimated GF Value™ of €107.95. GuruFocus considers Belden to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for STU:QCTA:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.50
  • GF Value™: €107.95 vs. price of €106.00 (1.8% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 70/100

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


Belden Business Description

Other Exchanges BDC:USA
Address 1 North Brentwood Boulevard, 15th Floor, St. Louis, MO, USA, 63105
Belden Inc is a supplier of complete connection solutions. It has two segments, Smart Infrastructure Solutions and Automation Solutions. Smart Infrastructure Solutions provides network infrastructure and broadband solutions, serving markets such as data centers, government, healthcare, and broadband and wireless service providers, with products including copper and fiber cable and connectivity solutions. Automation Solutions provides digitization and automation solutions that enable IT OT convergence and support acquisition, transmission, orchestration, and management, serving markets including Warehousing and Logistics, Energy, Transportation, and Discrete Manufacturing. The company operates in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, with maximum revenue coming from the Americas.
70GF Score

Get the complete analysis for STU:QCTA

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

€106.00
Price
€107.95
GF Value