A number of online financial spreadsheet templates calculate the EPS ratio and other financial metrics. The EPS ratio is also often found on stock trading websites since it is so commonly used in investment analysis. However, companies typically calculate and publish the EPS ratio at the end of the fiscal year using a weighted average for the number of common shares outstanding. This is because companies typically sell and buy back stock throughout the year, so the number of shares outstanding varies from day to day. For a more up-to-date figure, a company’s current EPS ratio can easily be calculated using Microsoft Excel. “Unlike the basic formula, this includes convertible securities, like preferred stock and stock options that can be ‘converted’ to common stock at any point in time,” explains Mock.

Higher earnings per share mean higher profits of the company, and it has more profits for distributing to shareholders. Shares issued and shares outstanding are two concepts that are a little confusing. Earnings per share is the amount that is given to shareholders for each share they hold. This is one of the major components of financial measures which is used in business.

• You can find total earnings, which is the same as net income, and the number of outstanding shares on a company’s income statement.
• In addition, you’ll need to know the net income figures and the number of outstanding shares, plus whether the company pays any preferred dividends.
• It tells us whether the company is doing well or not and is crucial as you analyze companies.
• By dividing the total amount received by the cost per share, we can easily get the number of outstanding shares.
• If a business has issued a large number of these convertible instruments, the amount of diluted earnings per share could be substantially less than the basic earnings per share figure.

Then divide that amount by the average number of outstanding common shares. Diluted EPS considers this factor and combines all the securities that could convert to common stock in the future. The formula in the table above calculates the basic EPS of each of these select companies.

Adjusted EPS is a type of EPS calculation in which the analyst makes adjustments to the numerator. Typically, this consists of adding or removing components of net income that are deemed to be non-recurring. For instance, if the company’s net income was increased based on a one-time sale of a building, the analyst might deduct the proceeds from that sale, thereby reducing net income. Shareholders might be misled if the windfall is included in the numerator of the EPS equation, so it is excluded. You’ll find this figure at the bottom of a company’s income statement.

Earnings Per Share Calculator: How to Calculate EPS

EPS measures each common share’s profit allocation in relation to the company’s total profit. For example, they may compare the forward EPS (that uses projections) with the company’s actual EPS for the current quarter. If the actual EPS falls short of forward EPS projections, the stock price may fall as investors register their disappointment. A company with a steadily increasing EPS figure is considered to be a more reliable investment than one whose EPS is on the decline or varies substantially. Diluted EPS, which accounts for the impact of convertible preferred shares, options, warrants, and other dilutive securities, was $1.56. Earnings per share (EPS) is calculated by determining a company’s net income and allocating that to each outstanding share of common stock.

Download CFI’s free earnings per share formula template to fill in your own numbers and calculate the EPS formula on your own. These are reported earnings per share, GAAP earnings per share, ongoing earnings per share, pro forma earnings per share, and retained earnings per share. Negative earnings per share mean that the company is spending more than it has earned. Negative earnings per share do not necessarily mean that stock must be sold. Choose the stock you want to analyze from the search bar (which will populate based on the ticker) or enter the financial data to explore from past years or quarters. For example, Tesla’s most recent report announced $12.556 billion in net income.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Formula

While it is more likely that the company reinvests its profits to grow the business, investors still look to EPS to gauge a company’s profitability. A higher ratio means a company is profitable enough to pay out large sums to its shareholders. Typically, investors look at the change in a company’s EPS over time compared to others in the same industry. Establishing trends within EPS growth gives a better idea of how profitable a company has been in the past and may be in the future. A company with a steadily increasing EPS is considered to be a more reliable investment than one whose EPS is on the decline or varies substantially.

What Are Earnings Per Share?

Earnings Per Share (EPS) stands out as a
crucial indicator of a company’s profitability and appeal to investors. This
statistic is an important component of financial reporting and plays an
important part in investment decisions. In the example above, the EPS calculator showed that Tesla earned $3.98 per share. The importance of EPS becomes clear when we compare the number to past earnings reports or other companies in the sector. EPS is most useful when comparing companies across similar industries or stock sectors or when looking at a single company over a period of time.

A lower P/E ratio suggests that the returns on the investment are higher. This means that if Quality distributed every dollar of income to its shareholders, each share would receive 10 dollars. The P/E ratio is one of the simplest and most popular ways to value a company, especially when comparing it to industry competitors and benchmarks such as the S&P 500. While EPS is a widely used and essential tool, it has several limitations and can be easily misinterpreted.

By dividing a company’s share price by its earnings per share, an investor can see the value of a stock in terms of how much the market is willing to pay for each dollar of earnings. Since it is a small company, there are no preferred shares outstanding. Quality Co. had 5,000 weighted average shares outstanding during the year. To calculate a company’s earnings per share, divide total earnings by the number of outstanding shares.

To determine the total number of common shares, we calculate the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding. A weighted average number is used instead of a year-end number because the number of common shares frequently changes throughout the year. Net income available to shareholders for EPS purposes refers to net income less dividends on preferred shares. Dividends payable to preferred shareholders are not available to common shareholders and must be deducted to calculate EPS.

This measurement figures into the earnings portion of the price-earnings (P/E) valuation ratio. The P/E ratio is one of the most common ratios utilized by investors to determine whether a company’s stock price is valued properly relative to its earnings. Using an average cash flow form of outstanding shares can provide an accurate picture of the earnings for the company. Earnings per share means the money you would earn for owning each share of common stock. A higher earning per share indicates that a company has better profitability.

Basic EPS vs. Diluted EPS

Earnings per share is a metric that allows investors to evaluate the profitability of a specific company on a per-share basis. To learn how to calculate earnings per share, you’ll need to understand the different variables in the formula first. In addition, company executives must file a 10-Q with the SEC, which contains the quarterly income statement. Not to worry, though — MarketBeat’s earnings per share calculator can do the heavy lifting. First, you’ll still need to understand how EPS is used to evaluate publicly traded companies.

If earnings per share is growing, but the stock price stays still, the P/E ratio will decrease exponentially. Although it can bring a one-time profit, it is an indication of an unhealthy company and might have a bubble impact. If the earnings per share stay still, but the stock price grows, then the P/E ratio will increase exponentially. In many cases, people neglect a very important component of the company’s earnings – the capital needed to generate these earnings. Analysts inspect the complete balance sheet and income statement of a company to identify the results of its activity and the earnings for a specific period of time. It shows how much profit can be generated per share of stock and is calculated by dividing earnings by outstanding shares.

For example, EPS can show investors if a company is growing or stagnating and how its performance stacks up to similar firms. EPS is a convenient metric for investors because it produces a single, easily digestible number to use as a proxy for a company’s valuation. EPS can also help you formulate other metrics, such as P/E ratios (which you can look up using MarketBeat’s P/E ratio calculator).

Sometimes, diluted earnings per share are also mentioned in the financial reports of the company. Diluted earnings per share also include options, warrants, and convertible bonds which can affect the number of total outstanding shares whenever exercised by the company. EPS offers investors a quick and often satisfactory way to measure a company’s profitability compared to previous quarters and other companies in the same sector. But even the best financial metrics can mislead on their own, and EPS is no different. EPS leaves several central data points out of its calculation (i.e., debt) and works best when used with other metrics, such as debt/equity ratio or dividend payout ratio. The earnings per share calculation is a valuation metric that allows investors to look at a company’s profits per share.