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West Pharmaceutical Services earnings quality score

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

Score85 / 100 · grade A · rank 15 of 1027

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) scores 85 of 100 for earnings quality, grade A: rank 15 of 1027 companies and 3 of 126 in health. It loses the most points on Montier C-score 3 of 6 checks failed, accruals of -6.6% of assets, lower than 69% of companies (profit backed by cash). It earns full or near-full marks for adjusted earnings 4% below GAAP, discretionary accruals of -0.1% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most, Beneish M-score -2.79: clean (below −2.22).

What earned and lost points

ComponentWhat the filings showPointsOf
Accrualsaccruals of -6.6% of assets, lower than 69% of companies (profit backed by cash)1420
Beneish M-scoreBeneish M-score -2.79: clean (below −2.22)1515
Dechow F-scoreDechow F-score 0.25 (normal)1515
Montier C-scoreMontier C-score 3 of 6 checks failed815
Discretionary accrualsdiscretionary accruals of -0.1% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most1010
Piotroski F-scorePiotroski F-score 9 of 91010
Non-GAAP gapadjusted earnings 4% below GAAP810
Earnings smoothnessprofit about as variable as cash flow (smoothness 2.27)55
WST: share of the available points, by componentWST: share of the available points, by componentAccruals70%Discretionary accruals99%Beneish M-score100%Dechow F-score100%Montier C-score50%Piotroski F-score100%Non-GAAP gap85%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 → West Pharmaceutical Services: 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.