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Zebra Technologies earnings quality score

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

Score56 / 100 · grade C · rank 782 of 1027

Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) scores 56 of 100 for earnings quality, grade C: rank 782 of 1027 companies and 198 of 287 in industrials. It loses the most points on Dechow F-score 2.10 (substantial), adjusted earnings 42% below GAAP, accruals of -6.0% of assets, lower than 65% of companies (profit backed by cash). It earns full or near-full marks for profit steadier than cash flow (smoothness 0.55), Beneish M-score -2.57: clean (below −2.22).

What earned and lost points

ComponentWhat the filings showPointsOf
Accrualsaccruals of -6.0% of assets, lower than 65% of companies (profit backed by cash)1320
Beneish M-scoreBeneish M-score -2.57: clean (below −2.22)1515
Dechow F-scoreDechow F-score 2.10 (substantial)415
Montier C-scoreMontier C-score 2 of 6 checks failed1015
Discretionary accrualsdiscretionary accruals of -2.1% of assets (modified Jones), smaller than most610
Piotroski F-scorePiotroski F-score 4 of 9410
Non-GAAP gapadjusted earnings 42% below GAAP010
Earnings smoothnessprofit steadier than cash flow (smoothness 0.55)45
ZBRA: share of the available points, by componentZBRA: share of the available points, by componentAccruals65%Discretionary accruals64%Beneish M-score100%Dechow F-score24%Montier C-score67%Piotroski F-score44%Earnings smoothness70%

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 → Zebra Technologies: 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.