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What is the earnings per share (EPS) ratio?

Author:
Harold Averkamp, CPA, MBA

Definition of Earnings per Share

The earnings per share ratio, or simply earnings per share, or EPS, is a corporation’s 1) net income (or earnings) after tax that is available to its common stockholders, divided by 2) the weighted average number of shares of common stock that are outstanding during the period of the earnings.

If a corporation had preferred stock outstanding, the required preferred stock’s dividend is shown as a deduction before the earnings that are available for common stockholders.

If a U.S. corporation’s shares of common stock are traded on a stock exchange, the earnings per share must appear on the face of its income statement.

Example of Earnings per Share

Assume a corporation has only one class of common stock outstanding and has no securities that can be converted into shares of common stock. During its most recent year its earnings (net income after income tax expense) were $9,410,000 and it had 900,000 shares of common stock from January 1 through June 30, and 1,100,000 shares from July 1 through December 31. The corporation will report earnings per share of $9.41 ($9,410,000/1,000,000).

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About the Author

Harold Averkamp

For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com.

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