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New York Times (NYT): analysis traps

Where its figures could mislead a reader, and what to check before taking them at face value · Data: Q3 2026, to Sep 30, 2026, filed Nov 4, 2026; rules v1.1

New York Times (NYT): 0 rules of 10 triggered on the filings to Sep 30, 2026. 2 to review; 2 with insufficient data; 2 not applicable. Each is a question to verify, with the normal explanation that would produce the same figures.

Check these first

Every rule

A01 FCF growth = the business improved Not triggered confidence medium

Free cash flow rose $169M to $551M; working capital and lower capex explain 49% of it, so most of the gain is in operating cash flow itself.

A07 Stock compensation added back = no economic cost Not triggered confidence high

Stock compensation is 2.6% of revenue: small enough that adding it back changes little.

B02 Receivables growing = future cash is certain Not triggered confidence medium

Receivables grew 22% against revenue 10% in Q3 2026; DSO 29 against a median of 28: collections are keeping pace with sales.

B08 Adjusted profit = economic profit Insufficient data

no reconciliation table read from the releases yet and fewer than three quarters with both an adjusted and a GAAP EPS

C02 Low net debt = no refinancing risk Insufficient data

no debt figure could be read from the balance sheet (the filing may tag it in other lines)

D03 EPS growth = profit growth Not triggered confidence high

EPS rose 21% and net income rose 19% in Q3 2026; the share count fell 1.3%: EPS growth follows profit growth.

E02 Low P/E at a cyclical peak = undervalued To review confidence medium

Net income of $409M is at a high against a median of $220M over eight years; at 27.1× the market is not pricing it as cheap, but a multiple on this year's profit still understates the mid-cycle one (50.4×).

What would show the trap does not apply

• Profit holds at this level through the next two years (the eight-year peak was a new base, not a top)
• The industry's capacity and prices stay where they are rather than reverting

Look again: next filing.

E07 A precise DCF value = the true value To review confidence high

The DCF's point value is 64.07 a share (price 68.36); 78% of it is the terminal value, a number about years no one has seen. Moving wacc by ±1 pt alone takes it from 53.90 to 79.58; across every method the research ran the range is 18 to 140. The value is a range; the decimals are not information.

What would explain it innocently

• A stable, mature business with a narrow range of outcomes, where the point value is a fair summary
• The inputs that matter most are themselves well known (a regulated return, a long contract)

What to look for in the filing

• Which input you believe differs from the research's and why
• What the price implies for growth (the reverse DCF on the fair-value page)

What would show the trap does not apply

• The DCF's value is robust to the terminal growth and discount rate (the range's low end is still above the price)
• The company's cash flows over the next three years track the DCF's early years

Look again: next filing.

J06 A bank's low P/E and high profit = safe Not applicable

not a bank

J08 A REIT's low net income = the dividend is unsafe Not applicable

not a REIT

What the statuses mean

Record a view

Every rule and the companies it triggers on → New York Times: cash flow → Earnings quality score →

Each rule reads the company's own filings by a fixed formula and says what would explain the same figures innocently. A triggered rule is a question to verify, not a finding of manipulation, and not a view on the stock. Missing data is shown as missing, never as clear. Not investment advice.