Softcat (STU:SF5) Beneish M-Score: -2.03 (As of Jun. 26, 2026)


STU:SF5 Softcat PLC STU:SF5
88 GF Score
Price €20.60
GF Value €29.90
Valuation Significantly Undervalued
! 4 Warning Signs
View Full Analysis

What is Softcat Beneish M-Score?

Softcat STU:SF5 +0.98% 88 Beneish M-Score is -2.03 as of Jun. 26, 2026. GuruFocus rates STU:SF5 with a GF Score™ of 88/100 and a GF Value™ of €29.90 (Significantly Undervalued). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 2,403 Hardware companies, Softcat ranks worse than 77.61% 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 -2.03 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

STU:SF5' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.67   Med: -2.2   Max: -1.7
Current: -2.03

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Softcat was -1.70. The lowest was -2.67. And the median was -2.20.


Softcat Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Softcat'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.

Softcat Beneish M-Score Chart

Softcat Annual Data
Trend Jul16 Jul17 Jul18 Jul19 Jul20 Jul21 Jul22 Jul23 Jul24 Jul25
Beneish M-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only -2.21 -1.70 -2.67 -2.33 -2.03

Softcat Semi-Annual Data
Jul16 Jan17 Jul17 Jan18 Jul18 Jan19 Jul19 Jan20 Jul20 Jan21 Jul21 Jan22 Jul22 Jan23 Jul23 Jan24 Jul24 Jan25 Jul25 Jan26
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 0.00 -2.33 0.00 -2.03 0.00

STU:SF5 vs SNX, ARW, AVT: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Electronics & Computer Distribution subindustry, Softcat'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.


Softcat Beneish M-Score vs Hardware Industry

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

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


STU:SF5
88GF Score
Softcat PLC STU:SF5
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

Softcat 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 Softcat 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 * 0.8279+0.528 * 1.2805+0.404 * 0.9943+0.892 * 1.4766+0.115 * 1.4094
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.7864+4.679 * -0.006465-0.327 * 1.1617
=-2.07

* 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 (Jul25) TTM:Last Year (Jul24) TTM:
Total Receivables was €801 Mil.
Revenue was €1,687 Mil.
Gross Profit was €572 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €1,297 Mil.
Total Assets was €1,379 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €56 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €12 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €363 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €936 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €36 Mil.
Net Income was €154 Mil.
Gross Profit was €0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was €163 Mil.
Total Receivables was €655 Mil.
Revenue was €1,142 Mil.
Gross Profit was €496 Mil.
Total Current Assets was €886 Mil.
Total Assets was €926 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was €24 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was €8 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was €313 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was €552 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was €10 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)
=(800.96 / 1686.718) / (655.168 / 1142.275)
=0.474863 / 0.573564
=0.8279

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)
=(495.712 / 1142.275) / (571.655 / 1686.718)
=0.433969 / 0.338916
=1.2805

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 - (1297.313 + 56.31) / 1378.517) / (1 - (886.012 + 23.611) / 926.449)
=0.018059 / 0.018162
=0.9943

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
=1686.718 / 1142.275
=1.4766

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))
=(7.86 / (7.86 + 23.611)) / (12.128 / (12.128 + 56.31))
=0.249754 / 0.177211
=1.4094

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)
=(363.325 / 1686.718) / (312.897 / 1142.275)
=0.215404 / 0.273924
=0.7864

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)
=((35.75 + 935.587) / 1378.517) / ((9.618 + 552.317) / 926.449)
=0.704625 / 0.606547
=1.1617

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
=(153.83 - 0 - 162.742) / 1378.517
=-0.006465

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.

Softcat has a M-score of -2.07 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 -2.03 mean?
Softcat (STU:SF5) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.03 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Softcat and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Softcat ranks #1865 out of 2403 companies in the Hardware industry, placing it in the top 77.6%.
Is Softcat's Beneish M-Score too high?
Softcat's current Beneish M-Score is -2.03. Based on the distribution chart, Softcat ranks #1865 out of 2403 companies in the Hardware industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Softcat has a GF Score™ of 88/100 and is considered Significantly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Softcat's Beneish M-Score compare to SNX and ARW?
According to the Hardware industry distribution chart, Softcat ranks #1865 out of 2403 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places Softcat in the lower 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 Softcat and its competitors. Softcat's current Beneish M-Score is -2.03. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Softcat stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Softcat (STU:SF5) is currently considered Significantly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is €29.90, compared to a current price of €20.60 — trading 31.1% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.03. Softcat's overall GF Score™ is 88/100 with 4 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 Softcat (STU:SF5), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.03 as of Jun. 26, 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 Softcat (STU:SF5) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Softcat stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of €20.60 is trading 31.1% below its estimated GF Value™ of €29.90. GuruFocus considers Softcat to be Significantly Undervalued.

Key valuation signals for STU:SF5:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.03
  • GF Value™: €29.90 vs. price of €20.60 (31.1% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 88/100 with 4 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the STU:SF5 stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Softcat Business Description

Other Exchanges SCTl:UKSCT:UK
Address Fieldhouse Lane, Solar House, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, GBR, SL7 1LW
Softcat PLC is an information technology infrastructure and service provider offering software licensing, workplace technology, networking and security, and cloud and data center solutions to corporates, public sector organizations, and small to medium-sized businesses, with the latter being the main business provider. It earns revenue from software, hardware, and services, including its own services, with the majority derived from software products. Its solutions include Workspace, Cyber Security, Networking and Connectivity, Data, Automation and AI, and Hybrid Cloud Solutions. The company serves Small to Medium Businesses, Enterprise, Multinational Services, and the Public Sector including healthcare, education, government, defence, police, and emergency services.
88GF Score

Get the complete analysis for STU:SF5

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

€20.60
Price
€29.90
GF Value