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Verizon Communications earnings quality score

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

Score64 / 100 · grade C · rank 563 of 1027

Verizon Communications (VZ) scores 64 of 100 for earnings quality, grade C: rank 563 of 1027 companies and 18 of 30 in communication. It loses the most points on accruals of -5.0% of assets, lower than 58% of companies (profit backed by cash), adjusted earnings 20% below GAAP, Montier C-score 1 of 4 checks failed. It earns full or near-full marks for profit about as variable as cash flow (smoothness 0.80).

What earned and lost points

ComponentWhat the filings showPointsOf
Accrualsaccruals of -5.0% of assets, lower than 58% of companies (profit backed by cash)1933
Montier C-scoreMontier C-score 1 of 4 checks failed1925
Discretionary accrualsdiscretionary accruals of -1.5% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most1217
Non-GAAP gapadjusted earnings 20% below GAAP617
Earnings smoothnessprofit about as variable as cash flow (smoothness 0.80)88
VZ: share of the available points, by componentVZ: share of the available points, by componentAccruals58%Discretionary accruals75%Montier C-score75%Non-GAAP gap33%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 → Verizon Communications: 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.