Earnings Yield Definition Formula Calculation Examples

Earnings Yield Definition

Earnings Yield Formulas

Below are the two formulas –

Earnings Yield Formula = Earnings Per Share / Stock Price Per Share*100

Here we take the 12 months earnings per share of the company is divided by the market price per share of the stock and represent in a percent manner to make the comparison.

Earnings Yield Formula=1/Price Earning * 100

As we know that it is the inverse of P/E P/EThe price to earnings (PE) ratio measures the relative value of the corporate stocks, i.e., whether it is undervalued or overvalued. It is calculated as the proportion of the current price per share to the earnings per share. read more, we can calculate it by using the above formula and represent it in a percent manner to make the comparison.

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How is Earnings Yield used by Investors?

Consider an investment in stock as against an investment in a Treasury bill or a fixed deposit, which are virtually risk-free investments. So, if the earnings yield of an investment in the stock is higher than the treasury billTreasury BillTreasury Bills (T-Bills) are investment vehicles that allow investors to lend money to the government.read more / Fixed deposit, only then will it make sense to invest in stock as we take risks while investing in stocks.

The Earnings yield of 10 years treasury bill is 4.5%, i.e., we earn 4.5% for each dollar invested, and the yield for the stock of Company A INC is 8.28 %, i.e., we earn 8.28% for each dollar invested. This clearly shows that the additional risk which we are taking by investing in stock instead of the treasury bill is providing additional returns. If the yield of the risk-free security is equal to or more than the stock, we can say that the stock is overvalued stocksOvervalued StocksOvervalued Stocks refer to stocks having more current market value than their real earning potential or the P/E Ratio. Overvaluation of stocks might occur due to illogical decision making or deterioration in a Company’s financial health. read more. As we can clearly see in such a case, there are no additional benefits received by making a riskier investment.

Examples

Now, let us understand the concept with the help of some simple and practical examples.

Example #1

Following is the information provided to us for company A INC and Company B INC.

Solution

The calculation for Company A

=15/120*100%=12.50%

The calculation for Company B

=25/140*100%=17.86%

Here as we can see that the earnings yield of company B is higher than company A, i.e., for each dollar invested in company B, we will earn 17.86% as compared to only 12.50% in company A. So, we conclude that investment in Company B is better.

Example #2

We are given that the stock Mr. A has an investment to be made, and he is having 2 options of the same he is providing us with the following details.

BDO Bank is currently trading at $ 1340 per share, and it’s earning per share is $ 50.CFDH Bank is currently trading at $ 1250 per share, and its earnings per share is $ 41, which of these banks he should select to maximize his earnings.

The calculation for BDO Bank

=50/1340*100%= 3.73%

The calculation for CFDH Bank

=41/1250*100%= 3.28%

After calculating it, we can understand that BDO bank is earning 3.73% for each dollar invested and CFDH Bank is earning 3.28% for each dollar invested. Therefore, it is clear that to maximize the returns, Mr. A should invest in BDO Bank.

Difference Between Earnings Yield and Dividend Yield

Below are certain differences between Earning and Dividend YieldDividend YieldDividend yield ratio is the ratio of a company’s current dividend to its current share price. It represents the potential return on investment for a given stock.read more.

As we know that earnings yield provides the percentage of returns for each dollar invested in the company, dividend yield, in the same way, provide the amount of dividend that a company pays for every invested.The dividend yield is used to make investment decisions for companies paying dividends.Dividend yield can be used only in the case of companies who payout dividendsPayout DividendsThe dividend payout ratio is the ratio between the total amount of dividends paid (preferred and normal dividend) to the company’s net income. Formula = Dividends/Net Incomeread more, whereas it has no such restrictions as all companies are required to report their earnings per shareEarnings Per ShareEarnings Per Share (EPS) is a key financial metric that investors use to assess a company’s performance and profitability before investing. It is calculated by dividing total earnings or total net income by the total number of outstanding shares. The higher the earnings per share (EPS), the more profitable the company is.read more.It can be used as a method of comparison for the stock, bond, fixed deposits, T-bills, etc. whereas, dividend yield cannot compare instruments other than stocks.

Importance

It is used for both to know the rate of returnRate Of ReturnRate of Return (ROR) refers to the expected return on investment (gain or loss) & it is expressed as a percentage. You can calculate this by, ROR = {(Current Investment Value – Original Investment Value)/Original Investment Value} * 100read more as well as for the purpose of valuation. We can consider it as a valuation because here we divide the earnings with the market value of the share.It acts as a tool to compare equity stock and the T-Bills, Fixed Deposits, and other risk-free security to understand whether the stock is undervalued or overvalued.It provides information about the per dollar earning from the investment, which makes comparison and decision making simple.

Conclusion

After understanding the concept, we can come to a conclusion that it helps the stakeholders to understand about the return for each dollar invested and also to make sure that the additional risk of investing in stock over risk-free security (like treasury bill, gold, fixed deposit) is worth taking or not.