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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.
WH Smith's Sloan Ratio for the quarter that ended in Feb. 2026 was -16.39%.
As of Feb. 2026, WH Smith has a Sloan Ratio of -16.39%, indicating there is a warning stage of accrual build up.
WH Smith (OTCPK:WHTPF) 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 Feb. 2026, WH Smith has a Sloan Ratio of -16.39%, indicating there is a warning stage of accrual build up.
WH Smith Sloan Ratio % Related Terms
WH Smith Sloan Ratio % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for WH Smith'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 Specialty Retail subindustry, WH Smith'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.
WH Smith Sloan Ratio % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, WH Smith's Sloan Ratio % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where WH Smith'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.
WH Smith's Sloan Ratio for the fiscal year that ended in Aug. 2025 is calculated as
For company reported semi-annually, GuruFocus uses latest two semi-annual data as the TTM data.
WH Smith's Net Income for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Feb. 2026 was -127.86 (Aug. 2025 ) + -36.685 (Feb. 2026 ) = $-165 Mil.
WH Smith's Cash Flow from Operations for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Feb. 2026 was 247.645 (Aug. 2025 ) + -5.435 (Feb. 2026 ) = $242 Mil.
WH Smith's Cash Flow from Investing for the trailing twelve months (TTM) ended in Feb. 2026 was -20.188 (Aug. 2025 ) + -63.859 (Feb. 2026 ) = $-84 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.
WH Smith (WHTPF) has a Sloan Ratio % of -16.39% as of Feb. 2026. Sloan ratio measures earnings quality based on the amount of accruals. View historical data on WH Smith and its competitors.
Is WH Smith's Sloan Ratio % too high?
WH Smith's current Sloan Ratio % is -16.39%. Overall, WH Smith has a GF Score™ of 55/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does WH Smith's Sloan Ratio % compare to CASY and WSM?
WH Smith's Sloan Ratio % of -16.39% can be compared against companies in the Retail - Cyclical 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 Retail - Cyclical company?
A good Sloan Ratio % depends on the Retail - Cyclical 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 WH Smith and its competitors. WH Smith's current Sloan Ratio % is -16.39%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is WH Smith stock overvalued right now?
WH Smith (WHTPF) has a current Sloan Ratio % of -16.39%. The stock's GF Value™ is $21.82, compared to a current price of $7.44 — trading 65.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Sloan Ratio % is -16.39%. WH Smith's overall GF Score™ is 55/100 with 5 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 WH Smith (WHTPF), the current Sloan Ratio % is -16.39% as of Feb. 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 WH Smith (WHTPF) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, WH Smith stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $7.44 is trading 65.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $21.82.
Key valuation signals for WHTPF:
Sloan Ratio %: -16.39%
GF Value™: $21.82 vs. price of $7.44 (65.9% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the WHTPF stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
WH Smith PLC is a travel retailer providing travel essentials through stores in high-footfall transport hubs, operating as a pure-play travel retail business following the sale of its High Street operations. The Company offers a broad portfolio of products and services, including books and magazines, food-to-go, beverages, health and beauty items, travel and technology accessories, and selected partner services. Its operations are organised into three segments: the UK, which generates the majority of revenue and operates stores across airports, hospitals, railway stations, and service areas; North America, with stores mainly in airports and a Resorts business in Las Vegas; and the Rest of the World.
55GF Score
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