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Earnings per share (EPS)

Category:Metrics
Alternative names: eps

What is EPS

Earnings per share (EPS) is the total amount of earnings attributed to each individual share for over a period of one year. It’s a way of measuring the profits made by the company for each share outstanding.

How to calculate EPS (formula)

The formula for calculating EPS is using the net income of the company and subtract the preferred dividend paid:

Earnings per Share (EPS) = (Net Income − Preferred Dividends) / Shares Outstanding

Since dividends payable to preferred shareholders are not available to common shareholders they are deducted from the calculation of EPS.

Basic EPS vs Diluted EPS

EPS can be two different types: Basic EPS and Diluted EPS. The main difference is that diluted EPS account for diluting securities while the basic EPS don’t. Diluted securities are any financial instrument that can be converted or can increase the number of common shares outstanding for the company. Diluted EPS is important because it accounts for convertible securities like: convertible bonds, proffered shares, stock options etc.

Stocks with high PE ratios

Name Price to earnings (P/E) Marketcap Industry
ULS UL Solutions Inc 99.78 $10.18B Specialty Business Services
PAY Paymentus Holdings Inc 99.68 $4.22B Information Technology Services
VSTS Vestis Corp 99 $2.08B Rental & Leasing Services
CCOI Cogent Communications Holdings Inc 98.82 $3.73B Telecom Services
INN Summit Hotel Properties Inc 98.43 $747M REIT - Hotel & Motel
STEP StepStone Group Inc 97.19 $6.94B Asset Management
POWI Power Integrations Inc 95.71 $3.59B Semiconductors

Why is EPS important

Earnings growth and future earnings potential are one of the most important factors for investors. A lot of investors use EPS and EPS growth as a proxy of estimating how well a company is doing. A company that is able to grow its EPS year over year is considerate as good investment that is commonly reflected in the rise in the share price.

Related terms