Stepstone Group Stock Beneish M Score

STEP Stock  USD 35.80  0.01  0.03%   
This module uses fundamental data of Stepstone to approximate the value of its Beneish M Score. Stepstone 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 Stepstone Piotroski F Score and Stepstone Altman Z Score analysis.
  
At this time, Stepstone's Net Debt is relatively stable compared to the past year. As of 04/24/2024, Long Term Debt is likely to grow to about 102.8 M, while Debt To Equity is likely to drop 0.45. At this time, Stepstone's Days Payables Outstanding is relatively stable compared to the past year. As of 04/24/2024, Intangibles To Total Assets is likely to grow to 0.25, though Days Sales Outstanding is likely to grow to (7.8 K).
At this time, Stepstone's M Score is unavailable. The earnings manipulation may begin if Stepstone's 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 Stepstone 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 Stepstone's 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.
-2.77
Beneish M Score - Unavailable
Elasticity of Receivables

0.62

Focus
Asset Quality

1.3

Focus
Expense Coverage

1.11

Focus
Gross Margin Strengs

1.05

Focus
Accruals Factor

1.11

Focus
Depreciation Resistance

1.0

Focus
Net Sales Growth

0.95

Focus
Financial Leverage Condition

0.52

Focus

Stepstone 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 Stepstone's 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 Receivables900 M1.5 B
Way Down
Slightly volatile
Total Assets4.2 BB
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Current AssetsB1.7 B
Way Down
Slightly volatile
Non Current Assets Total2.5 B2.3 B
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Property Plant Equipment73.7 M70.2 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Depreciation And Amortization57.3 M54.6 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Selling General Administrative207.8 M197.9 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Total Current Liabilities930.7 M1.8 B
Way Down
Slightly volatile
Non Current Liabilities Total375.9 M358 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Short Term Debt118.8 M113.1 M
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile
Long Term Debt102.8 M88.5 M
Fairly Up
Slightly volatile
Total Cash From Operating Activities115 M173.9 M
Way Down
Slightly volatile
Long Term Investments33.4 M35.2 M
Notably Down
Very volatile
Gross Profit Margin3.943.75
Sufficiently Up
Slightly volatile

Stepstone Group 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 Stepstone's different financial indicators related to revenue, expenses, operating profit, and net earnings helps investors identify and prioritize their investing strategies towards Stepstone in a much-optimized way. Analyzing correlations between earnings drivers directly associated with dollar figures is the most effective way to find Stepstone's degree of accounting gimmicks and manipulations.

About Stepstone 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.

Depreciation And Amortization

57.29 Million

At this time, Stepstone's Depreciation And Amortization is relatively stable compared to the past year.

Stepstone 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 Stepstone. 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.
201920202021202220232024 (projected)
Net Receivables495.6M936.1M1.5B1.3B1.5B900.0M
Total Revenue446.6M787.7M1.4B(67.6M)(77.7M)(73.8M)
Total Assets680.8M1.3B4.2B3.5B4.0B4.2B
Total Current Assets585.6M1.1B1.7B1.5B1.7B1.0B
Net Debt53.2M(179.9M)17.5M91.0M104.7M109.9M
Operating Income152.0M328.8M454.9M(47.4M)(54.6M)(51.8M)
Investments31.1M(14.0M)(36.2M)(25.2M)(22.7M)(23.8M)
Gross Profit Margin0.460.490.424.173.753.94

About Stepstone Fundamental Analysis

The Macroaxis Fundamental Analysis modules help investors analyze Stepstone Group's financials across various querterly and yearly statements, indicators and fundamental ratios. We help investors to determine the real value of Stepstone using virtually all public information available. We use both quantitative as well as qualitative analysis to arrive at the intrinsic value of Stepstone Group 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.

Stepstone Investors Sentiment

The influence of Stepstone's investor sentiment on the probability of its price appreciation or decline could be a good factor in your decision-making process regarding taking a position in Stepstone. The overall investor sentiment generally increases the direction of a stock movement in a one-year investment horizon. However, the impact of investor sentiment on the entire stock market does not have solid backing from leading economists and market statisticians.
Investor biases related to Stepstone's public news can be used to forecast risks associated with an investment in Stepstone. The trend in average sentiment can be used to explain how an investor holding Stepstone can time the market purely based on public headlines and social activities around Stepstone Group. Please note that most equities that are difficult to arbitrage are affected by market sentiment the most.
Stepstone's market sentiment shows the aggregated news analyzed to detect positive and negative mentions from the text and comments. The data is normalized to provide daily scores for Stepstone's and other traded tickers. The bigger the bubble, the more accurate is the estimated score. Higher bars for a given day show more participation in the average Stepstone's news discussions. The higher the estimated score, the more favorable is the investor's outlook on Stepstone.
Some investors attempt to determine whether the market's mood is bullish or bearish by monitoring changes in market sentiment. Unlike more traditional methods such as technical analysis, investor sentiment usually refers to the aggregate attitude towards Stepstone in the overall investment community. So, suppose investors can accurately measure the market's sentiment. In that case, they can use it for their benefit. For example, some tools to gauge market sentiment could be utilized using contrarian indexes, Stepstone's short interest history, or implied volatility extrapolated from Stepstone options trading.

Currently Active Assets on Macroaxis

When determining whether Stepstone Group is a good investment, qualitative aspects like company management, corporate governance, and ethical practices play a significant role. A comparison with peer companies also provides context and helps to understand if Stepstone Stock is undervalued or overvalued. This multi-faceted approach, blending both quantitative and qualitative analysis, forms a solid foundation for making an informed investment decision about Stepstone Group Stock. Highlighted below are key reports to facilitate an investment decision about Stepstone Group Stock:
Check out Stepstone Piotroski F Score and Stepstone Altman Z Score analysis.
Note that the Stepstone Group information on this page should be used as a complementary analysis to other Stepstone's statistical models used to find the right mix of equity instruments to add to your existing portfolios or create a brand new portfolio. You can also try the Premium Stories module to follow Macroaxis premium stories from verified contributors across different equity types, categories and coverage scope.

Complementary Tools for Stepstone Stock analysis

When running Stepstone's price analysis, check to measure Stepstone's market volatility, profitability, liquidity, solvency, efficiency, growth potential, financial leverage, and other vital indicators. We have many different tools that can be utilized to determine how healthy Stepstone is operating at the current time. Most of Stepstone's value examination focuses on studying past and present price action to predict the probability of Stepstone's future price movements. You can analyze the entity against its peers and the financial market as a whole to determine factors that move Stepstone's price. Additionally, you may evaluate how the addition of Stepstone to your portfolios can decrease your overall portfolio volatility.
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Is Stepstone's industry 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 Stepstone. If investors know Stepstone 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 Stepstone 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
(0.36)
Dividend Share
0.82
Earnings Share
0.9
Revenue Per Share
8.35
Quarterly Revenue Growth
(0.53)
The market value of Stepstone Group is measured differently than its book value, which is the value of Stepstone that is recorded on the company's balance sheet. Investors also form their own opinion of Stepstone's value that differs from its market value or its book value, called intrinsic value, which is Stepstone's 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 Stepstone's market value can be influenced by many factors that don't directly affect Stepstone's 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 Stepstone's value and its price as these two are different measures arrived at by different means. Investors typically determine if Stepstone is a good investment by looking at such factors as earnings, sales, fundamental and technical indicators, competition as well as analyst projections. However, Stepstone's 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.