Size and Price Metrics

    Earnings Per Share

    EPS

    Earnings per share is the slice of net profit that belongs to each share. It is the building block for the PE and PEG ratios.

    Formula

    EPS

    EPS = Net Profit ÷ Number of Shares

    Benchmark: Track the growth over 1, 3, and 5 years rather than the level

    Reading the number

    Picture a shop that earns ₹100 a year and has four equal partners. Each partner's share of the profit is ₹25. That is EPS with four shares.

    On its own, the EPS number tells you little, because a company can have any number of shares. What matters is how EPS has grown over one, three, and five years, and how the share price compares with it. Use consolidated EPS, and use the adjusted figure after bonus issues or splits so that years remain comparable.

    Indian example

    Related ratios

    Glossary terms