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American Express Co (XSGO:AXP) Beneish M-Score : -2.64 (As of May. 02, 2024)


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What is American Express Co Beneish M-Score?

Note: Financial institutions were excluded from the sample in Beneish paper when calculating Beneish M-Score. Thus, the prediction might not fit banks and insurance companies.

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 -2.64 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

XSGO:AXP' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -3.54   Med: -2.62   Max: -2.13
Current: -2.64

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of American Express Co was -2.13. The lowest was -3.54. And the median was -2.62.


American Express Co 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 American Express Co 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+0.528 * 1+0.404 * 0.9725+0.892 * 1.1245+0.115 * 0.9844
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 0.9103+4.679 * -0.057539-0.327 * 1.0117
=-2.64

* 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 (Mar24) TTM:Last Year (Mar23) TTM:
Total Receivables was $0 Mil.
Revenue was 15801 + 15792 + 15342 + 15043 = $61,978 Mil.
Gross Profit was 15801 + 15792 + 15342 + 15043 = $61,978 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $55,973 Mil.
Total Assets was $269,261 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $5,138 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1,641 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $13,499 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $15,153 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $48,826 Mil.
Net Income was 2437 + 1933 + 2451 + 2174 = $8,995 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = $0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 5552 + 6769 + 8244 + 3923 = $24,488 Mil.
Total Receivables was $0 Mil.
Revenue was 14281 + 13942 + 13509 + 13385 = $55,117 Mil.
Gross Profit was 14281 + 13942 + 13509 + 13385 = $55,117 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $43,166 Mil.
Total Assets was $235,842 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was $5,204 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was $1,628 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was $13,187 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $14,250 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $41,138 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)
=(0 / 61978) / (0 / 55117)
=0 / 0
=1

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)
=(55117 / 55117) / (61978 / 61978)
=1 / 1
=1

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 - (55973 + 5138) / 269261) / (1 - (43166 + 5204) / 235842)
=0.773042 / 0.794905
=0.9725

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
=61978 / 55117
=1.1245

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))
=(1628 / (1628 + 5204)) / (1641 / (1641 + 5138))
=0.23829 / 0.242071
=0.9844

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)
=(13499 / 61978) / (13187 / 55117)
=0.217803 / 0.239255
=0.9103

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)
=((48826 + 15153) / 269261) / ((41138 + 14250) / 235842)
=0.23761 / 0.234852
=1.0117

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
=(8995 - 0 - 24488) / 269261
=-0.057539

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.

American Express Co has a M-score of -2.64 suggests that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.


American Express Co Beneish M-Score Related Terms

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American Express Co (XSGO:AXP) Business Description

Address
200 Vesey Street, New York, NY, USA, 10285
American Express is a global financial institution, operating in about 130 countries, that provides consumers and businesses charge and credit card payment products. The company also operates a highly profitable merchant payment network. Since 2018, it has operated in three segments: global consumer services, global commercial services, and global merchant and network services. In addition to payment products, the company's commercial business offers expense management tools, consulting services, and business loans.