SMGThe Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Is it safe?
Forensics clean, with a caveat: a safe balance sheet and clean books, but heavy debt (BB).
Financially healthy, low distress risk Altman Z-score, a bankruptcy-risk model from five balance-sheet ratios.
Reported earnings show no manipulation flags Beneish M-score, a forensic model that detects earnings-manipulation patterns (receivables outrunning sales, margins slipping, accrual-heavy profit).
High fundamental quality Piotroski F-score, nine pass/fail tests of year-over-year financial health across profitability, balance sheet and efficiency. 7 to 9 is strong, 0 to 3 weak.
Insiders were net sellers (-$2.2M, 90 days to Oct 8, 2026), selling is often routine.
Moderately leveraged. A rule of thumb on leverage, not a credit rating.
Moderate price swings, typical volatility. Worst drawdown -84% · now 32% below its 52-week high.
Unless marked, from SEC EDGAR, as of Sep 30, 2025.
Against the whole market›
Percentile against every name Ryufin tracks. Higher is better; the tick marks the middle of the market. Context, not one of the checks above.
Where this answer is blind. Altman sits structurally low for utilities and pipelines; Beneish runs high for fast growers, since sales growth alone lifts it; banks and REITs are excluded.
Can SMG take a bad year?
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company carries $2.09B of net debt at 4.69× EBITDA: a heavy load to carry through a bad year.
Net debt · as at Q3 2026 · over four years of earnings before interest, tax and depreciation, heavy
- Net debt / EBITDA
- 4.69×
Net debt / EBITDA · 5.76× a year ago · the load is coming down
- Altman Z-score
- 2.70
Altman Z-score · grey zone, between 1.8 and 3
- Interest cover
- 3.38×
Interest cover · operating profit covers the interest bill, with room to spare
Details›
- Total debtQ3 2026
- $2.11B
- Cash and short-term investments
- $28M
- Net debt
- $2.09B
- EBITDA, trailing twelve months
- $445M
- Operating profit, trailing twelve months
- $383M
- Total debt / EBITDA
- 4.75×
- Annualised volatilitytwo years of daily moves
- 41%
- Worst drawdown on file
- −84%
- Below its 52-week high
- 32%
Balance sheet from SEC filings; drawdown and volatility from end-of-day closes; Altman Z from the filed statements.