Ownership Ratios

Ownership and Valuation Ratios

This lesson connects EPS, P/E, PEG, P/B, Dividend Yield, Enterprise Value, EV/EBITDA, and EV/Sales as investor valuation tools.

Concept First

Learn It Step By Step

Start with the business meaning, then move into the formula.

How should I read EPS and P/E?

EPS tells profit per share. P/E tells how much the market pays for one rupee of EPS. If Company A has EPS of Rs. 20 and price of Rs. 300, P/E is 15x. Company B has the same EPS but price of Rs. 600, so P/E is 30x. B is more expensive unless its growth, quality, and durability justify the higher multiple.

How should I read PEG?

PEG connects valuation with growth. A company at P/E 30x growing earnings at 30% has PEG of 1.0x. Another at P/E 20x growing at 8% has PEG of 2.5x. The second may actually be more expensive relative to growth. Lower PEG can be attractive, but only if growth is real, profitable, and sustainable.

How should I read P/B?

P/B compares market price with book value per share. If book value is Rs. 100 and price is Rs. 250, P/B is 2.5x. Higher P/B may be justified when ROE is strong and asset quality is good. A low P/B is not automatically cheap; it may signal poor asset quality, weak returns, or doubtful balance-sheet value.

How should I read Dividend Yield?

Dividend Yield shows cash dividend as a percentage of market price. If dividend is Rs. 8 and price is Rs. 400, yield is 2%. Higher yield gives more cash return today, but it is not always better. A very high yield may mean the market expects dividend cuts, low growth, or business stress.

How should I read EV/EBITDA and EV/Sales?

Enterprise Value values the whole business, including debt and cash. If EV is Rs. 1,000 and EBITDA is Rs. 200, EV/EBITDA is 5x. If another company has EV of Rs. 1,000 and EBITDA of Rs. 100, it is 10x and is more expensive on operating earnings. EV/Sales is useful when profits are temporarily low, but a low EV/Sales is attractive only if margins can become healthy.

Formula Lab

Understand the Formula

Read the formula like a business sentence before calculating it.

Formula 1

EPS = PAT attributable to equity shareholders / Weighted Average Shares

Formula 2

P/E = Market Price per Share / EPS

Formula 3

PEG = P/E / Earnings Growth Rate

Formula 4

P/B = Market Price per Share / Book Value per Share

Formula 5

Dividend Yield = Dividend per Share / Market Price per Share

Formula 6

EV = Market Capitalisation + Debt - Cash

Formula 7

EV/EBITDA = EV / EBITDA

Formula 8

EV/Sales = EV / Revenue

Solved Case Study

Read the Numbers Like an Analyst

Work through one business case slowly: understand the situation, calculate the ratios, then interpret what the numbers are really saying.

Case context

A listed company has PAT Rs. 120Cr, 6Cr shares, price Rs. 400, book value per share Rs. 160, dividend Rs. 8 per share, debt Rs. 500Cr, cash Rs. 100Cr, EBITDA Rs. 300Cr, and sales Rs. 1,500Cr. EPS is Rs. 20, P/E is 20x, P/B is 2.5x, dividend yield is 2 percent, market cap is Rs. 2,400Cr, EV is Rs. 2,800Cr, EV/EBITDA is 9.33x, and EV/Sales is 1.87x.

1

Case: Same earnings, different valuation

Company A and Company B both have PAT of Rs. 120Cr and 6Cr shares, so both have EPS of Rs. 20. A trades at Rs. 300 per share. B trades at Rs. 600 per share. A has debt of Rs. 200Cr and cash of Rs. 50Cr. B has debt of Rs. 600Cr and cash of Rs. 100Cr. Both have EBITDA of Rs. 180Cr.

2

Read equity valuation first

P/E tells how much the market pays for each rupee of EPS.

A P/E = 300 / 20 = 15x. B P/E = 600 / 20 = 30x.

B is twice as expensive on P/E. That may be justified only if B has better growth, quality, or lower risk.

3

Move from equity value to enterprise value

Enterprise Value adjusts market capitalisation for debt and cash, so it values the whole business.

A Market Cap = 300 x 6 = Rs. 1,800Cr; A EV = 1,800 + 200 - 50 = Rs. 1,950Cr. B Market Cap = 600 x 6 = Rs. 3,600Cr; B EV = 3,600 + 600 - 100 = Rs. 4,100Cr.

B is even larger on whole-business value because it has both higher market cap and higher net debt.

4

Compare EV with operating earnings

EV/EBITDA compares the whole business value with operating earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation.

A EV/EBITDA = 1,950 / 180 = 10.8x. B EV/EBITDA = 4,100 / 180 = 22.8x.

B is much more expensive. The learner should now ask whether B's growth and return quality are strong enough to justify paying that multiple.

Interpretation

What This Means In Practice

Read the result as a business signal, not as a standalone number.

How to read this

Ownership ratios translate business performance into per-share and market value language. EPS is profit per share. P/E tells how much investors pay for one rupee of earnings. P/B compares market value with accounting net worth. Dividend yield reads cash return. Enterprise Value looks at the value of the whole business, not just equity, and EV multiples are useful when comparing companies with different debt levels. Start with the business meaning, then check the trend, peer benchmark, source line items, and cash impact.

What to remember

Valuation ratios do not say buy or sell by themselves. They become useful when connected to growth, return quality, debt, cash flow, industry economics, and the durability of earnings.

Key Takeaway

Valuation ratios do not say buy or sell by themselves. They become useful when connected to growth, return quality, debt, cash flow, industry economics, and the durability of earnings.

Practice Checkpoint

Check Your Understanding

Work through the quiz in smaller sets. Your answers stay visible while this page is open, so you can review before moving on.

Showing 5 of 20

Question 1 of 20

Level 1

What does EPS measure?

Question 2 of 20

Level 1

What does P/E Ratio show?

Question 3 of 20

Level 1

Why is Enterprise Value different from market capitalisation?

Question 4 of 20

Level 1

Why can EV/EBITDA be useful across companies with different debt?

Question 5 of 20

Level 2

PAT is Rs. 120Cr and shares are 6Cr. What is EPS?

15 questions remaining in this lesson.