SST (System1) Altman Z-Score: -4.19 (As of Jun. 24, 2026)


SST System1 Inc SST
40 GF Score
Price $2.38
GF Value $6.03
Valuation Possible Value Trap
! 5 Warning Signs
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What is System1 Altman Z-Score?

System1 SST -13.14% 40 Altman Z-Score is -4.19 as of Jun. 24, 2026. GuruFocus rates SST with a GF Score™ of 40/100 and a GF Value™ of $6.03 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 5 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,060 Business Services companies, System1 ranks worse than 97.26% on this metric.

The Altman Z-Score is a model designed to predict the likelihood of a company going bankrupt within the next two years. Created by American finance professor Edward Altman in 1968, the model is specifically designed for publicly traded manufacturing companies with assets greater than $1 million.

Warning Sign:

Altman Z-score of -4.18 is in distress zone. This implies bankruptcy possibility in the next two years.

System1 has a Altman Z-Score of -4.19, indicating it is in Distress Zones. This implies bankrupcy possibility in the next two years.

The zones of discrimination were as such:

When Altman Z-Score <= 1.8, it is in Distress Zones.
When Altman Z-Score >= 3, it is in Safe Zones.
When Altman Z-Score is between 1.8 and 3, it is in Grey Zones.

The historical rank and industry rank for System1's Altman Z-Score or its related term are showing as below:

SST' s Altman Z-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -4.18   Med: -1.32   Max: 1.19
Current: -4.18

During the past 8 years, System1's highest Altman Z-Score was 1.19. The lowest was -4.18. And the median was -1.32.


System1  (NYSE:SST) Altman Z-Score Explanation

X1: The Working Capital/Total Assets (WC/TA) ratio is a measure of the net liquid assets of the firm relative to the total capitalization. Working capital is defined as the difference between current assets and current liabilities. Ordinarily, a firm experiencing consistent operating losses will have shrinking current assets in relation to total assets. Altman found this one proved to be the most valuable liquidity ratio comparing with the current ratio and the quick ratio. This is however the least significant of the five factors.

X2: Retained Earnings/Total Assets: the RE/TA ratio measures the leverage of a firm. Retained earnings is the account which reports the total amount of reinvested earnings and/or losses of a firm over its entire life. Those firms with high RE, relative to TA, have financed their assets through retention of profits and have not utilized as much debt.

X3, Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets (EBIT/TA): This ratio is a measure of the true productivity of the firm's assets, independent of any tax or leverage factors. Since a firm's ultimate existence is based on the earning power of its assets, this ratio appears to be particularly appropriate for studies dealing with corporate failure. This ratio continually outperforms other profitability measures, including cash flow.

X4, Market Value of Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities (MVE/TL): The measure shows how much the firm's assets can decline in value (measured by market value of equity plus debt) before the liabilities exceed the assets and the firm becomes insolvent.

X5, Revenue/Total Assets (S/TA): The capital-turnover ratio is a standard financial ratio illustrating the sales generating ability of the firm's assets.

Read more about Altman Z-Score and the original research.


Be Aware

Altman Z-Score does not apply to financial companies.


System1 Altman Z-Score Related Terms


System1 Altman Z-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for System1's Altman Z-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.

System1 Altman Z-Score Chart

System1 Annual Data
Trend Dec18 Dec19 Dec20 Dec21 Dec22 Dec23 Dec24 Dec25
Altman Z-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial 0.00 -1.02 -0.99 -1.93 -2.68

System1 Quarterly Data
Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar22 Jun22 Sep22 Dec22 Mar23 Jun23 Sep23 Dec23 Mar24 Jun24 Sep24 Dec24 Mar25 Jun25 Sep25 Dec25 Mar26
Altman Z-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 -2.33 -2.27 -2.61 -2.68 -4.18

SST vs LICN, PMEC, YSXT: Altman Z-Score Comparison

For the Specialty Business Services subindustry, System1's Altman Z-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Altman Z-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.


System1 Altman Z-Score vs Business Services Industry

For the Business Services industry and Industrials sector, System1's Altman Z-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where System1's Altman Z-Score falls into.


SST
40GF Score
System1 Inc SST
Altman Z-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
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System1 Altman Z-Score Calculation

Altman Z-Score model is an accurate forecaster of failure up to two years prior to distress. It can be considered the assessment of the distress of industrial corporations.

System1's Altman Z-Score for today is calculated with this formula:

Z=1.2*X1+1.4*X2+3.3*X3+0.6*X4+1.0*X5
=1.2*-0.0441+1.4*-2.7932+3.3*-0.2947+0.6*0.0544+1.0*0.7144
=-4.19

* 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. GuruFocus does not calculate Altman Z-Score when X4 or X5 value is 0.

Trailing Twelve Months (TTM) ended in Mar. 2026:
Total Assets was $320.3 Mil.
Total Current Assets was $111.7 Mil.
Total Current Liabilities was $125.9 Mil.
Retained Earnings was $-894.7 Mil.
Pre-Tax Income was -57.666 + -18.19 + -22.546 + -23.089 = $-121.5 Mil.
Interest Expense was -6.629 + -6.303 + -7.052 + -7.116 = $-27.1 Mil.
Revenue was 37.234 + 51.94 + 61.561 + 78.115 = $228.9 Mil.
Market Cap (Today) was $19.6 Mil.
Total Liabilities was $359.3 Mil.

* Note that for stock reported semi-annually or annually, GuruFocus uses latest annual data as the TTM data.

X1=Working Capital/Total Assets
=(Total Current Assets - Total Current Liabilities)/Total Assets
=(111.739 - 125.851)/320.325
=-0.0441

X2=Retained Earnings/Total Assets
=-894.746/320.325
=-2.7932

X3=Earnings Before Interest and Taxes/Total Assets
=(Pre-Tax Income - Interest Expense)/Total Assets
=(-121.491 - -27.1)/320.325
=-0.2947

X4=Market Value Equity/Book Value of Total Liabilities
=Market Cap/Total Liabilities
=19.557/359.349
=0.0544

X5=Revenue/Total Assets
=228.85/320.325
=0.7144

The zones of discrimination were as such:

Distress Zones - 1.81 < Grey Zones < 2.99 - Safe Zones

System1 has a Altman Z-Score of -4.19 indicating it is in Distress Zones.

Study by Altman found that companies that are in Distress Zone have more than 80% of chances of bankruptcy in two years.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Altman Z-Score →
What does a Altman Z-Score of -4.19 mean?
System1 (SST) has a Altman Z-Score of -4.19 as of Jun. 24, 2026. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on System1 and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, System1 ranks #1031 out of 1060 companies in the Business Services industry, placing it in the top 97.3%.
Is System1's Altman Z-Score too high?
System1's current Altman Z-Score is -4.19. Based on the distribution chart, System1 ranks #1031 out of 1060 companies in the Business Services industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, System1 has a GF Score™ of 40/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does System1's Altman Z-Score compare to LICN and PMEC?
According to the Business Services industry distribution chart, System1 ranks #1031 out of 1060 companies for Altman Z-Score. This places System1 in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Altman Z-Score is 2.97. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Altman Z-Score for a Business Services company?
The median Altman Z-Score among Business Services companies is 2.97, based on 1,060 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Altman Z-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Altman Z-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 Altman Z-Score mean?
A high Altman Z-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Altman Z-score measures a company's bankruptcy risk. View historical data on System1 and its competitors. For the Business Services industry, the median Altman Z-Score is 2.97 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. System1's current Altman Z-Score is -4.19. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is System1 stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, System1 (SST) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $6.03, compared to a current price of $2.38 — trading 60.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Altman Z-Score is -4.19. System1's overall GF Score™ is 40/100 with 5 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Altman Z-Score calculated?
Altman Z-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For System1 (SST), the current Altman Z-Score is -4.19 as of Jun. 24, 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 System1 (SST) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, System1 stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $2.38 is trading 60.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $6.03. GuruFocus considers System1 to be Possible Value Trap.

Key valuation signals for SST:

  • Altman Z-Score: -4.19
  • GF Value™: $6.03 vs. price of $2.38 (60.5% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 40/100 with 5 warning signs

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


System1 Business Description

Address 4235 Redwood Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 90066
System1 Inc develops technology and data science to operate a responsive acquisition marketing platform. It operate several flagship brands across multiple consumer verticals, including shopping, travel and search, and a customer acquisition and marketing platform powered by Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The company's segment includes Marketing and Products. It generates maximum revenue from the Marketing segment. Geographically, it operates in United States and Other countries.
40GF Score

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

$2.38
Price
$6.03
GF Value