Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS) (2024)

Net income to common shareholders divided by shares outstanding

Written byJeff Schmidt

What is the Earnings per Share (EPS) Formula?

EPS is a financial ratio, which divides net earnings available to common shareholders by the averageoutstanding shares over a certain period of time. The EPS formula indicates a company’s ability to produce net profits for common shareholders. This guide breaks down the Earnings per Share formula in detail.

A single EPS value for one company is somewhat arbitrary. The number is more valuable when analyzed against other companies in the industry, and when compared to the company’s share price (the P/E Ratio). Between two companies in the same industry with the same number of shares outstanding, higher EPS indicates better profitability. EPS is typically used in conjunction with a company’s share price to determine whether it is relatively “cheap” (low P/E ratio) or “expensive” (high P/E ratio).

Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS) (1)

Earnings Per Share Formula

There are several ways to calculate earnings per share.

Below are two versions of the earnings per share formula:

EPS = (Net Income – Preferred Dividends) / End of period Shares Outstanding

EPS = (Net Income – Preferred Dividends) / Weighted Average Shares Outstanding

The first formula uses total outstanding shares to calculate EPS, but in practice, analysts may use the weighted average shares outstanding when calculating the denominator. Since outstanding shares can change over time, analysts often use last period shares outstanding.

There is also often talk of diluted EPS in financial reports. Diluted EPS includes options, convertible securities, and warrants outstanding that can affect total shares outstanding when exercised.

Another type of earnings per share formula is adjusted EPS. This removes all non-core profits and losses, as well as those in minority interests. The focus of this calculation is to see only profit or loss generated from core operations on a normalized basis.

Earnings Per Share Formula Example

ABC Ltd has a net income of $1 million in the third quarter. The company announces dividends of $250,000. Total shares outstanding is at 11,000,000.

The EPS of ABC Ltd. would be:

EPS = ($1,000,000 – $250,000) / 11,000,000
EPS = $0.068

Since every share receives an equal slice of the pie of net income, they would each receive $0.068.

Download the Earnings per Share Formula Template

Download CFI’s free earnings per share formula template to fill in your own numbers and calculate the EPS formula on your own.

As you can see in the Excel screenshot below, if ABC Ltd has a net income of $1 million, dividends of $0.25 million, and shares outstanding of 11 million, the earnings per share formula is ($1 – $0.25) / 11 = $0.07.

Note that many companies do not have preferred shares, and for those companies, there are no preferred dividends that need to be deducted. The reason preferred dividends are deducted is that EPS represents only the earnings available to common shareholders, and preferred dividends need to be paid out before common shareholders receive anything.

Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS) (2)

Video Explanation of Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS)

Watch this short video to quickly understand the main concepts covered in this guide, including what Earnings Per Share is, the formula for EPS, and an example of EPS calculation.

Price to Earnings Ratio

Earnings per share are almost always analyzed relative to a company’s share price. This ratio is known as the Price to Earnings Ratio (or P/E ratio). Learn more in CFI’s guide to the Price-Earnings Ratio.

Additional Resources

This has been CFI’s guide to the earnings per share formula. To learn more about other forms of financial analysis and to advance your career as a certified financial analyst, explore the additional CFI resources below:

Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS) (2024)

FAQs

Earnings Per Share Formula (EPS)? ›

To calculate earnings per share, take a company's net income and subtract that from preferred dividends. Then divide that amount by the average number of outstanding common shares.

How do you calculate the EPS? ›

The formula for calculating the earnings per share (EPS) is as follows.
  1. Earnings Per Share (EPS) = (Net Income – Preferred Dividends) ÷ Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding.
  2. Ending Basic Shares Outstanding = Beginning Balance + New Stock Issuances – Stock Buybacks.
Mar 3, 2024

What is the basic formula for EPS? ›

The basic EPS is calculated by dividing a company's net income by the weighted average of common shares outstanding.

Which formula is used for EPS? ›

Earnings per share value is calculated as net income (also known as profits or earnings) divided by available shares.

How do you value EPS? ›

There are a couple of ways to calculate a company's EPS. The first is to subtract preferred dividends from net income and divide them by the end-of-period shares outstanding. The other way is to subtract preferred dividends from net income and divide by the weighted average of shares outstanding.

Why do we calculate EPS? ›

Importance of Earnings Per Share

It helps compare the performance of promising companies to help pick the most suitable investment option. 2. EPS can also be used to compare the financial standing of a company over the years. Companies that have a steady EPS increase can be a reliable investment option.

What is the formula for price to EPS? ›

Earnings per share: This measure is calculated by taking the net income earned by the corporate and dividing it by the number of outstanding shares issued. Price / Earnings ratio: P/E ratio is measured by dividing the share price by the earnings per share.

How do I find my total EPS? ›

To check your EPS balance, follow these simple steps:
  1. Go to the official EPFO portal.
  2. From the top-left corner, click on "For Employees" in the "Services" dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to "Member Passbook" under Services and click on it.
  4. On the member passbook portal, click the "Login" button.

What is the formula for calculating EPS in Excel? ›

After collecting the necessary data, input the net income, preferred dividends and number of common shares outstanding into three adjacent cells, say B3 through B5. In cell B6, input the formula "=B3-B4" to subtract preferred dividends from net income. In cell B7, input the formula "=B6/B5" to render the EPS ratio.

What is the order for calculating EPS? ›

It is calculated by : EPS= Net profit after tax and preference dividend / Number of equity shares. Was this answer helpful?

What is EPS in simple terms? ›

Earnings per share (EPS) is a measure of a company's profitability, calculated by dividing quarterly or annual income (minus dividends) by the number of outstanding stock shares. The higher a company's EPS, the greater the profit and value perceived by investors.

What is a good EPS ratio? ›

There's no definition of a “good” or “bad” EPS value. But all other things being equal, the higher a company's EPS is, the better. The opposite is true for a company's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. In most cases, the lower a company's P/E ratio is, the better.

What is the formula for EPS revenue? ›

Earnings per Share Formula Definition: A company's Earnings per Share (EPS) equals its Net Income / Weighted Average Shares Outstanding and tells you how much in profit it's earning for each “unit” of ownership in the company.

What is the formula for basic EPS? ›

Basic EPS = (Net income - preferred dividends) ÷ weighted average of common shares outstanding during the period. Net income can be further broken down into 'continuing operations' P&L and 'total P&L' and preferred dividends should be removed as this income is not available to common stockholders.

How to calculate the EPS? ›

EPS equals the difference between net income and preferred dividends, divided by the average number of outstanding common shares. EPS is sometimes known as the bottom line of a firm's worth. The earnings per share figure can help investors gain an idea of a company's financial performance.

How do you calculate EPS in accounting standard? ›

Basic earnings per share should be calculated by dividing the net profit or loss for the period attributable to equity shareholders by the weighted average number of equity shares outstanding during the period.

How to calculate EPS in Excel? ›

After collecting the necessary data, input the net income, preferred dividends and number of common shares outstanding into three adjacent cells, say B3 through B5. In cell B6, input the formula "=B3-B4" to subtract preferred dividends from net income. In cell B7, input the formula "=B6/B5" to render the EPS ratio.

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