Lee Enterprises Incorporated Stock Beneish M Score

LEE Stock  USD 9.99  1.22  13.91%   
This module uses fundamental data of Lee Enterprises to approximate the value of its Beneish M Score. Lee Enterprises M Score tells investors if the company management is likely to be manipulating earnings. The score is calculated using eight financial indicators that are adjusted by a specific multiplier. Please note, the M Score is a probabilistic model and cannot detect companies that manipulate their earnings with 100% accuracy. Check out Lee Enterprises Piotroski F Score and Lee Enterprises Altman Z Score analysis.
  
At present, Lee Enterprises' Long Term Debt Total is projected to decrease significantly based on the last few years of reporting. The current year's Debt To Assets is expected to grow to 0.85, whereas Net Debt is forecasted to decline to about 41.4 M. At present, Lee Enterprises' Free Cash Flow Per Share is projected to drop based on the last few years of reporting. The current year's ROIC is expected to grow to 0.27, whereas PTB Ratio is projected to grow to (3.77).
At this time, Lee Enterprises' M Score is unavailable. The earnings manipulation may begin if Lee Enterprises' top management creates an artificial sense of financial success, forcing the stock price to be traded at a high price-earnings multiple than it should be. In general, excessive earnings management by Lee Enterprises executives may lead to removing some of the operating profits from subsequent periods to inflate earnings in the following periods. This way, the manipulation of Lee Enterprises' earnings can lead to misrepresentations of actual financial condition, taking the otherwise loyal stakeholders on to the path of questionable ethical practices and plain fraud.
-2.61
Beneish M Score - Unavailable
Elasticity of Receivables

1.09

Focus
Asset Quality

1.05

Focus
Expense Coverage

1.14

Focus
Gross Margin Strengs

0.71

Focus
Accruals Factor

1.14

Focus
Depreciation Resistance

0.96

Focus
Net Sales Growth

0.9

Focus
Financial Leverage Condition

0.92

Focus

Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Indicator Trends

The cure to earnings manipulation is the transparency of financial reporting. It will typically remove the temptation of the top executives to inflate earnings (i.e., to promote the idea of 'winning at any cost'). Because a healthy internal audit department can enhance transparency, the board should promote the auditors' access to all the record-keeping systems across the enterprise. For example, if Lee Enterprises' auditors report directly to the board (not management), the managers will be reluctant to manipulate simply due to the fear of punishment. On the other hand, the auditors will be free to investigate the ledgers properly because they know that the board has their back.
Current ValueLast YearChange From Last Year 10 Year Trend
Net Receivables68.3 M69.7 M
Fairly Down
Slightly volatile
Total Revenue630.1 M703.1 M
Moderately Down
Slightly volatile
Total Assets1.1 B746.5 M
Significantly Up
Pretty Stable
Total Current Assets95.2 M88 M
Significantly Up
Pretty Stable
Non Current Assets Total933.1 M634.1 M
Way Up
Pretty Stable
Property Plant Equipment147.1 M109.1 M
Significantly Up
Slightly volatile
Depreciation And Amortization45.1 M31.8 M
Significantly Up
Pretty Stable
Selling General Administrative276.3 M269.8 M
Fairly Up
Slightly volatile
Total Current Liabilities189.5 M132.7 M
Way Up
Slightly volatile
Non Current Liabilities Total621.3 M622.3 M
Slightly Down
Pretty Stable
Net Debt41.4 M43.6 M
Notably Down
Slightly volatile
Short Term Debt17.8 M18.7 M
Notably Down
Very volatile
Long Term Debt512.4 M401.3 M
Significantly Up
Slightly volatile
Long Term Investments32 M30.6 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Gross Profit Margin0.610.86
Way Down
Slightly volatile

Lee Enterprises Beneish M-Score Driver Matrix

One of the toughest challenges investors face today is learning how to quickly synthesize historical financial statements and information provided by the company, SEC reporting, and various external parties in order to detect the potential manipulation of earnings. Understanding the correlation between Lee Enterprises' different financial indicators related to revenue, expenses, operating profit, and net earnings helps investors identify and prioritize their investing strategies towards Lee Enterprises in a much-optimized way. Analyzing correlations between earnings drivers directly associated with dollar figures is the most effective way to find Lee Enterprises' degree of accounting gimmicks and manipulations.

About Lee Enterprises Beneish M Score

M-Score is one of many grading techniques for value stocks. It was developed by Professor M. Daniel Beneish of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and published in 1999 under the paper titled The Detection of Earnings Manipulation. The Beneish score is a multi-factor model that utilizes financial identifiers to compile eight variables used to classify whether a company has manipulated its reported earnings. The variables are built from the officially filed financial statements to create a final score call 'M Score.' The score helps to identify companies that are likely to manipulate their profits if they show deteriorating gross margins, operating expenses, and leverage against growing revenue.

Other Operating Expenses

558.34 Million

At present, Lee Enterprises' Other Operating Expenses is projected to increase significantly based on the last few years of reporting.

Lee Enterprises Earnings Manipulation Drivers

Although earnings manipulation is typically not the result of intentional misconduct by the c-level executives, it is still a widespread practice by the senior management of public companies such as Lee Enterprises. It is usually done by a series of misrepresentations of various accounting rules and operating activities across multiple financial cycles. The best way to spot the manipulation is to examine the historical financial statement to find inconsistencies in earning reports to find trends in assets or liabilities that are not sustainable in the future.
202020212022202320242025 (projected)
Net Receivables65.1M69.5M69.1M60.6M69.7M68.3M
Total Revenue794.6M781.0M691.1M611.4M703.1M630.1M
Total Assets843.6M744.0M711.6M649.2M746.5M1.1B
Total Current Assets108.8M109.1M106.5M97.8M88.0M95.2M
Net Debt522.8M500.2M485.5M37.9M43.6M41.4M
Short Term Debt23.3M15.7M7.8M16.3M18.7M17.8M
Long Term Debt476.5M462.6M455.7M445.9M401.3M512.4M
Operating Income56.6M74.0M37.2M4.5M4.1M3.9M
Investments1.0M6.3M2.9M3.7M3.4M3.5M

Lee Enterprises ESG Sustainability

Some studies have found that companies with high sustainability scores are getting higher valuations than competitors with lower social-engagement activities. While most ESG disclosures are voluntary and do not directly affect the long term financial condition, Lee Enterprises' sustainability indicators can be used to identify proper investment strategies using environmental, social, and governance scores that are crucial to Lee Enterprises' managers, analysts, and investors.
Environmental
Governance
Social

About Lee Enterprises Fundamental Analysis

The Macroaxis Fundamental Analysis modules help investors analyze Lee Enterprises Incorporated's financials across various querterly and yearly statements, indicators and fundamental ratios. We help investors to determine the real value of Lee Enterprises using virtually all public information available. We use both quantitative as well as qualitative analysis to arrive at the intrinsic value of Lee Enterprises Incorporated based on its fundamental data. In general, a quantitative approach, as applied to this company, focuses on analyzing financial statements comparatively, whereas a qaualitative method uses data that is important to a company's growth but cannot be measured and presented in a numerical way.
Please read more on our fundamental analysis page.

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When determining whether Lee Enterprises is a strong investment it is important to analyze Lee Enterprises' competitive position within its industry, examining market share, product or service uniqueness, and competitive advantages. Beyond financials and market position, potential investors should also consider broader economic conditions, industry trends, and any regulatory or geopolitical factors that may impact Lee Enterprises' future performance. For an informed investment choice regarding Lee Stock, refer to the following important reports:
Check out Lee Enterprises Piotroski F Score and Lee Enterprises Altman Z Score analysis.
You can also try the Global Correlations module to find global opportunities by holding instruments from different markets.
Is Publishing space expected to grow? Or is there an opportunity to expand the business' product line in the future? Factors like these will boost the valuation of Lee Enterprises. If investors know Lee will grow in the future, the company's valuation will be higher. The financial industry is built on trying to define current growth potential and future valuation accurately. All the valuation information about Lee Enterprises listed above have to be considered, but the key to understanding future value is determining which factors weigh more heavily than others.
Quarterly Earnings Growth
(0.38)
Earnings Share
(3.02)
Revenue Per Share
104.972
Quarterly Revenue Growth
(0.12)
Return On Assets
0.0442
The market value of Lee Enterprises is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Lee that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Lee Enterprises' value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Lee Enterprises' true underlying value. Investors use various methods to calculate intrinsic value and buy a stock when its market value falls below its intrinsic value. Because Lee Enterprises' market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Lee Enterprises' underlying business (such as a pandemic or basic market pessimism), market value can vary widely from intrinsic value.
Please note, there is a significant difference between Lee Enterprises' value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if Lee Enterprises is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Lee Enterprises' price is the amount at which it trades on the open market and represents the number that a seller and buyer find agreeable to each party.