Volkswagen AG (XSWX:VOW3) Beneish M-Score: -2.51 (As of Jun. 27, 2026)


XSWX:VOW3 Volkswagen AG XSWX:VOW3
73 GF Score
Price CHF72.10
GF Value CHF98.20
! 7 Warning Signs
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What is Volkswagen AG Beneish M-Score?

Volkswagen AG XSWX:VOW3 73 Beneish M-Score is -2.51 as of Jun. 27, 2026. GuruFocus rates XSWX:VOW3 with a GF Score™ of 73/100 and a GF Value™ of CHF98.20. The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,274 Vehicles & Parts companies, Volkswagen AG ranks worse than 53.3% 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 -2.51 no higher than -1.78, which implies that the company is unlikely to be a manipulator.

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

XSWX:VOW3' s Beneish M-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -2.73   Med: -2.48   Max: -2.26
Current: -2.51

During the past 13 years, the highest Beneish M-Score of Volkswagen AG was -2.26. The lowest was -2.73. And the median was -2.48.


Volkswagen AG Beneish M-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Volkswagen AG'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.

Volkswagen AG Beneish M-Score Chart

Volkswagen AG 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 -2.73 -2.46 -2.37 -2.50 -2.48

Volkswagen AG 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 -2.49 -2.48 -2.47 -2.48 -2.51

XSWX:VOW3 vs TSLA, GM, F: Beneish M-Score Comparison

For the Auto Manufacturers subindustry, Volkswagen AG'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.


Volkswagen AG Beneish M-Score vs Vehicles & Parts Industry

For the Vehicles & Parts industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, Volkswagen AG's Beneish M-Score distribution charts can be found below:

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


XSWX:VOW3
73GF Score
Volkswagen AG XSWX:VOW3
Beneish M-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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Volkswagen AG 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 Volkswagen AG 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 * 1.005+0.528 * 1.1461+0.404 * 0.9493+0.892 * 0.9604+0.115 * 0.8927
-0.172 * SGAI+4.679 * TATA-0.327 * LVGI
-0.172 * 1.0179+4.679 * -0.015956-0.327 * 1.0302
=-2.55

* 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 CHF114,001 Mil.
Revenue was 68860.99 + 77679.087 + 75036.163 + 75791.741 = CHF297,368 Mil.
Gross Profit was 10699.088 + 13619.152 + 9573.757 + 12757.954 = CHF46,650 Mil.
Total Current Assets was CHF243,443 Mil.
Total Assets was CHF606,249 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was CHF142,702 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was CHF35,618 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was CHF32,770 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was CHF227,600 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was CHF118,050 Mil.
Net Income was 1313.38 + 3097.086 + -292.464 + 2190.106 = CHF6,308 Mil.
Non Operating Income was 0 + 0 + 0 + 0 = CHF0 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was 4742.914 + 4608.769 + 6311.802 + 317.964 = CHF15,981 Mil.
Total Receivables was CHF118,110 Mil.
Revenue was 74087.711 + 81577.199 + 73791.966 + 80181.268 = CHF309,638 Mil.
Gross Profit was 12228.069 + 16031.995 + 12259.482 + 15151.305 = CHF55,671 Mil.
Total Current Assets was CHF237,995 Mil.
Total Assets was CHF610,754 Mil.
Property, Plant and Equipment(Net PPE) was CHF139,187 Mil.
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization(DDA) was CHF30,204 Mil.
Selling, General, & Admin. Expense(SGA) was CHF33,521 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was CHF217,165 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was CHF120,840 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)
=(114001.04 / 297367.981) / (118110.096 / 309638.144)
=0.383367 / 0.381446
=1.005

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)
=(55670.851 / 309638.144) / (46649.951 / 297367.981)
=0.179793 / 0.156876
=1.1461

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 - (243443.172 + 142702.448) / 606249.215) / (1 - (237995.033 + 139186.582) / 610753.872)
=0.363058 / 0.382433
=0.9493

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
=297367.981 / 309638.144
=0.9604

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))
=(30204.205 / (30204.205 + 139186.582)) / (35618.393 / (35618.393 + 142702.448))
=0.178311 / 0.199743
=0.8927

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)
=(32770.105 / 297367.981) / (33521.123 / 309638.144)
=0.110201 / 0.108259
=1.0179

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)
=((118050.402 + 227599.783) / 606249.215) / ((120840.181 + 217164.999) / 610753.872)
=0.570145 / 0.553423
=1.0302

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
=(6308.108 - 0 - 15981.449) / 606249.215
=-0.015956

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.

Volkswagen AG has a M-score of -2.55 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 -2.51 mean?
Volkswagen AG (XSWX:VOW3) has a Beneish M-Score of -2.51 as of Jun. 27, 2026. The Beneish M-score measures the likelihood of earnings manipulation. View historical data on Volkswagen AG and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Volkswagen AG ranks #679 out of 1274 companies in the Vehicles & Parts industry, placing it in the top 53.3%.
Is Volkswagen AG's Beneish M-Score too high?
Volkswagen AG's current Beneish M-Score is -2.51. Based on the distribution chart, Volkswagen AG ranks #679 out of 1274 companies in the Vehicles & Parts industry, which is below the industry midpoint. Overall, Volkswagen AG has a GF Score™ of 73/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Volkswagen AG's Beneish M-Score compare to TSLA and GM?
According to the Vehicles & Parts industry distribution chart, Volkswagen AG ranks #679 out of 1274 companies for Beneish M-Score. This places Volkswagen AG 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 Vehicles & Parts company?
A good Beneish M-Score depends on the Vehicles & Parts 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 Volkswagen AG and its competitors. Volkswagen AG's current Beneish M-Score is -2.51. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Volkswagen AG stock overvalued right now?
Volkswagen AG (XSWX:VOW3) has a current Beneish M-Score of -2.51. The stock's GF Value™ is CHF98.20, compared to a current price of CHF72.10 — trading 26.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Beneish M-Score is -2.51. Volkswagen AG's overall GF Score™ is 73/100 with 7 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 Volkswagen AG (XSWX:VOW3), the current Beneish M-Score is -2.51 as of Jun. 27, 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 Volkswagen AG (XSWX:VOW3) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Volkswagen AG stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of CHF72.10 is trading 26.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of CHF98.20.

Key valuation signals for XSWX:VOW3:

  • Beneish M-Score: -2.51
  • GF Value™: CHF98.20 vs. price of CHF72.10 (26.6% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 73/100 with 7 warning signs

No single metric tells the full story. See the XSWX:VOW3 stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Volkswagen AG Business Description

Address Berliner Ring 2, Wolfsburg, NI, DEU, 38440
Volkswagen is the second-largest automotive original equipment manufacturer by vehicle sales globally, selling 9 million vehicles in 2025. Its four vehicle segments core (Volkswagen, SEAT, Skoda, and VW commercial), progressive (Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley), sports luxury (Porsche), and Traton commercial vehicles (Traton, Scania, Navistar, MAN, and VW truck and bus) contribute 45%, 20%, 10%, and 13% to group revenue, respectively. It also has a vehicle software business (Cariad), batteries, power engineering production, and financial services.
73GF Score

Get the complete analysis for XSWX:VOW3

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

CHF72.10
Price
CHF98.20
GF Value