InsiderFlowGlossary › What is EPS (earnings per share)?

What is EPS (earnings per share)?

EPS is net income divided by the number of shares: how much the company earns for every single share outstanding.

It's the most watched number in every earnings report: analysts publish EPS estimates and the stock moves on the gap between results and expectations ("beat" or "miss"). A company can grow EPS by earning more or by shrinking its share count through buybacks.

Mind the difference between "reported" EPS (accounting) and "adjusted" EPS (massaged by companies to exclude one-off items): the latter is almost always more flattering.

Concrete example

If Apple earns $100 billion with 15 billion shares, EPS is about $6.60: with the stock at $200, the P/E is about 30.

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Frequently asked questions

Why do stocks fall even on record profits?

Because expectations rule: record EPS that still misses analyst estimates disappoints the market.

What are earnings surprises?

The gap between published EPS and consensus estimates: positive surprises lift the stock, negative ones sink it.

Related terms

What is the P/E ratio?What is net income?What is an earnings report?