EARNINGS PER SHARE - EPS

Portion of a firm’s profits, net taxes, and preferred stock dividends allocated to every share of common stock. EPS is an indicator of a firm’s profitability. In computing the EPS, it is more precise to use a weighted average number of outstanding shares over the reporting term since it changes over time. However, data sources at times simplify the computation using the number of outstanding shares at the end of the given period.