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News earnings quality score

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

Score72 / 100 · grade B · rank 256 of 1027

News (NWSA) scores 72 of 100 for earnings quality, grade B: rank 256 of 1027 companies and 7 of 30 in communication. It loses the most points on adjusted earnings 14% above GAAP, Dechow F-score 1.41 (above normal), Montier C-score 1 of 4 checks failed. It earns full or near-full marks for profit about as variable as cash flow (smoothness 4.14).

What earned and lost points

ComponentWhat the filings showPointsOf
Dechow F-scoreDechow F-score 1.41 (above normal)2027
Montier C-scoreMontier C-score 1 of 4 checks failed2027
Discretionary accrualsdiscretionary accruals of +1.7% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most1318
Non-GAAP gapadjusted earnings 14% above GAAP1018
Earnings smoothnessprofit about as variable as cash flow (smoothness 4.14)99
NWSA: share of the available points, by componentNWSA: share of the available points, by componentDiscretionary accruals70%Dechow F-score72%Montier C-score75%Non-GAAP gap53%Earnings smoothness100%

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 → News: 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.