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ACI Worldwide earnings quality score

How much of the reported profit is backed by cash, and how many markers of managed earnings the filings show

Score52 / 100 · grade C · rank 852 of 1027

ACI Worldwide (ACIW) scores 52 of 100 for earnings quality, grade C: rank 852 of 1027 companies and 170 of 203 in technology. It loses the most points on accruals of -3.1% of assets, higher than 61% of companies (profit backed by cash), adjusted earnings 38% below GAAP, Montier C-score 3 of 5 checks failed. It earns full or near-full marks for profit steadier than cash flow (smoothness 0.56), Beneish M-score -2.54: clean (below −2.22).

What earned and lost points

ComponentWhat the filings showPointsOf
Accrualsaccruals of -3.1% of assets, higher than 61% of companies (profit backed by cash)820
Beneish M-scoreBeneish M-score -2.54: clean (below −2.22)1515
Dechow F-scoreDechow F-score 1.85 (above normal)615
Montier C-scoreMontier C-score 3 of 5 checks failed615
Discretionary accrualsdiscretionary accruals of +2.7% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most610
Piotroski F-scorePiotroski F-score 7 of 9810
Non-GAAP gapadjusted earnings 38% below GAAP010
Earnings smoothnessprofit steadier than cash flow (smoothness 0.56)45
ACIW: share of the available points, by componentACIW: share of the available points, by componentAccruals38%Discretionary accruals57%Beneish M-score100%Dechow F-score41%Montier C-score40%Piotroski F-score78%Earnings smoothness72%

How the score is built

Eight published measures, each scored against the whole universe or on its own scale and weighted: accruals 20, discretionary accruals 10, Beneish M 15, Dechow F 15, Montier C 15, Piotroski F 10, the non-GAAP gap 10, smoothness 5. A measure that cannot be computed (Beneish for a bank, say) drops out and the rest is rescaled, so every company is scored on what applies to it.

Every company ranked → The full quality workbench, live → ACI Worldwide: cash flow →

Computed from the companies’ own XBRL filings (latest fiscal year) by published formulas; a statistical screen, not an audit or an accusation. A low score means the reported profit shows more of the markers of managed or low-quality earnings than its peers. Not investment advice.