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Richard Sloan from the University of Michigan was first to document what is referred to as the "accrual anomaly". His 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones.
Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -15.83%.
As of Mar. 2026, Kelly Services has a Sloan Ratio of -15.83%, indicating there is a warning stage of accrual build up.
Kelly Services (NAS:KELYB) Sloan Ratio % Explanation
A former University of Michigan researcher, Richard Sloan's 1996 paper found that shares of companies with small or negative accruals vastly outperform (+10%) those of companies with large ones. In fact, for the 40-year period between 1962 and 2001, buying the lowest accrual companies and shorting the highest accrual companies resulted in an average annual compounded return of 18%, more than double the S&P 500's 7.4% annual return over the same period.
If the Sloan Ratio is between -10% and 10%, the company is in the safe zone and there is no funny business with accruals.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than between -25% and -10% on the negative side, and between 10% and 25% on the positive side, this is a warning stage of accrual build up.
If the Sloan Ratio is less than -25% or greater than 25%, and this ratio is consistent over several quarters or even years, be careful. Earnings are highly likely to be made up of accruals.
As of Mar. 2026, Kelly Services has a Sloan Ratio of -15.83%, indicating there is a warning stage of accrual build up.
Kelly Services Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
Kelly Services Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio % 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.
For the Staffing & Employment Services subindustry, Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio %, along with its competitors' market caps and Sloan Ratio % 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.
Kelly Services Sloan Ratio % vs Business Services Industry
For the Business Services industry and Industrials sector, Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio % falls into.
Earnings contain a lot of non cash earnings which is called accruals. The Sloan ratio is a way to identify firms with low non-cash or accrual-derived earnings relative to their cash flow.
Kelly Services's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as
Kelly Services's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 19 (Jun. 2025 ) + -150.1 (Sep. 2025 ) + -128.8 (Dec. 2025 ) + -5.9 (Mar. 2026 ) = $-266 Mil.
Kelly Services's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 95.4 (Jun. 2025 ) + -25.3 (Sep. 2025 ) + 28.6 (Dec. 2025 ) + -25.4 (Mar. 2026 ) = $73 Mil.
Kelly Services's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026 was 21.5 (Jun. 2025 ) + -2.8 (Sep. 2025 ) + 0.4 (Dec. 2025 ) + -1.2 (Mar. 2026 ) = $18 Mil.
* 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.
Kelly Services (KELYB) has a Sloan Ratio % of -15.83% as of Mar. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Kelly Services and its competitors.
Is Kelly Services' Sloan Ratio % too high?
Kelly Services' current Sloan Ratio % is -15.83%. Overall, Kelly Services has a GF Score™ of 64/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Kelly Services' Sloan Ratio % compare to TBI and HQI?
Kelly Services' Sloan Ratio % of -15.83% can be compared against companies in the Business Services industry. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Sloan Ratio % for a Business Services company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Business Services industry context. However, Sloan Ratio % 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 Sloan Ratio % mean?
A high Sloan Ratio % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on Kelly Services and its competitors. Kelly Services's current Sloan Ratio % is -15.83%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Kelly Services stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Kelly Services (KELYB) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $21.05, compared to a current price of $22.08 — trading 4.9% above its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is -15.83%. Kelly Services' overall GF Score™ is 64/100 with 11 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Sloan Ratio % calculated?
Sloan Ratio % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Kelly Services (KELYB), the current Sloan Ratio % is -15.83% as of Mar. 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 Kelly Services (KELYB) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Kelly Services stock appears to be overvalued.
The current stock price of $22.08 is trading 4.9% above its estimated GF Value™ of $21.05.
GuruFocus considers Kelly Services to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for KELYB:
Sloan Ratio %: -15.83%
GF Value™: $21.05 vs. price of $22.08 (4.9% above fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the KELYB stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Kelly Services Inc is a specialty talent solutions company. The company operates through three reportable segments: i) Enterprise Talent Management, which provides temporary staffing, outsourcing, and permanent placement services across industrial, contact center, and clerical roles, ii) Science, Engineering & Technology, which supplies specialized talent across multiple industries, and iii) Education, which delivers staffing, placement, and executive search services to Pre-K-12 school districts and education organizations in the United States. The majority of the company's revenue is derived from the Enterprise Talent Management segment. Geographically, it generates the maximum revenue from the United States, followed by Europe and the Asia-Pacific Region.
64GF Score
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