Lesson 6 of 9 · All lessons in this module
  1. Revenue recognition: core principle and the five-step model
  2. Revenue recognition in practice and what it means for analysisVideo lesson
  3. Expense recognition and capitalising versus expensing
  4. Capitalised interest and capitalised development costsVideo lesson
  5. Non-recurring items, discontinued operations and accounting changesVideo lesson
  6. Basic EPS and the weighted average number of sharesVideo lesson
  7. Diluted EPS: if-converted, treasury stock and antidilutionVideo lesson
  8. Common-size income statements and margin analysis
  9. Integrated cases: capitalising, restated results and gross versus net revenue

Lesson 6 of 9 · 11 min

Basic EPS and the weighted average number of shares

Basic EPS divides the earnings that belong to ordinary shareholders by the time-weighted number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period.

In short

  • EPS must be shown on the face of the income statement, for net income and for continuing operations, both basic and diluted.
  • Simple capital structure: no securities that could become ordinary shares, so basic EPS = diluted EPS. Complex: convertible bonds, convertible preferred, options or warrants exist.
  • Basic EPS = (net income − preferred dividends) ÷ weighted average ordinary shares. Common dividends are not deducted.
  • Shares issued or repurchased are weighted by the fraction of the year they were outstanding.
  • Stock splits and stock dividends are applied retroactively to the start of the period (and to all periods shown).

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