Earnings Yield Calculator: EPS as a Share of Share Price
Work out a stock's earnings yield — the inverse of the P/E ratio, and the only way to compare a stock's earnings against a bond's coupon on the same percentage scale.
Adjust the inputs and select Calculate for a full breakdown.
Compare Common Scenarios
How the numbers shift across typical situations for this calculator:
| Scenario | Earnings yield | Price-side share |
|---|---|---|
| $2.50 EPS · $50 price | 5.00% | 95.00% |
| $1.20 EPS · $30 price | 4.00% | 96.00% |
| $5.00 EPS · $80 price | 6.25% | 93.75% |
| $0.80 EPS · $40 price | 2.00% | 98.00% |
How This Calculator Works
Enter the earnings per share (EPS) and the current share price. The calculator divides EPS by price and multiplies by 100 to give the earnings yield. A P/E of 20 corresponds to an earnings yield of 5%; the calculator does that conversion for you.
The Formula
Part as a Percentage of a Whole
Part is the portion, Whole is the total it belongs to
Worked Example
A stock with $2.50 EPS trading at $50 has a 5% earnings yield — investors are getting $5 of company earnings for every $100 invested. Compared against a Treasury yield of 4%, the equity 'pays' a 1-point premium for the extra risk and growth potential.
Key Insight
Earnings yield is what Warren Buffett refers to when he calls the S&P 500 a 'bond with a coupon that grows over time'. A 5% earnings yield on a stock is broadly comparable to a 5% bond, except the equity's coupon should grow with earnings. The 'equity risk premium' watched by macro investors is the earnings yield minus the 10-year Treasury yield.
Why earnings yield is comparable to bond yields
Earnings yield represents 'what the company earns for shareholders per dollar of stock price' — whether paid out as dividends, used for buybacks, or retained for growth. The 10-year Treasury yield represents 'what the U.S. government promises to pay per dollar of investment'. Both are yields on capital.
Comparing the two creates 'equity risk premium' = earnings yield − 10Y Treasury yield. Historically averages ~4-6 percentage points. When the spread is HIGH (equities relatively cheap vs bonds), equities have historically outperformed over subsequent 5-10 years. When LOW or NEGATIVE (equities expensive vs bonds), equities have underperformed.
Current (2024): S&P 500 earnings yield ~4-4.5%; 10Y Treasury ~4.2%. Spread is ~0-0.5 percentage points — historically LOW. This signals expensive equity market vs bonds. Prior periods with this low spread (1999, 2007) were followed by significant equity underperformance over the subsequent 5-10 years. Whether this pattern repeats is uncertain.
Earnings yield vs dividend yield — distribution doesn't matter for value
Earnings yield includes all earnings; dividend yield only includes distributed earnings. Microsoft has ~3.5% earnings yield but only ~0.8% dividend yield — the difference (~2.7%) is retained for growth or used for buybacks. Both forms of capital return benefit shareholders; the form of return shouldn't affect intrinsic value (Modigliani-Miller dividend irrelevance).
In practice, growth-stage companies (Tesla, Amazon historically) retain all earnings for reinvestment — earnings yield exists but dividend yield is zero. Mature companies (Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil) pay much of earnings as dividends. Both can be excellent investments; the 'income vs growth' distinction is about timing of cash receipt, not about quality of return.
For total-return investors, earnings yield is the more meaningful number. Two stocks at $100 with $5 EPS have identical 5% earnings yield. Whether one pays a $4 dividend and retains $1 (growth-modest) or pays $1 dividend and retains $4 (growth-oriented) shouldn't affect investment merit — provided retained earnings are reinvested at acceptable returns. The trap is when retained earnings are wasted on bad acquisitions or destroyed; for high-ROE companies retaining earnings is value-additive.
Earnings yield benchmarks — illustrative U.S. market data
Reference earnings yield levels and equity risk premium across recent periods.
| Period | S&P 500 earnings yield | 10Y Treasury | Equity risk premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 (dot-com peak) | ~3.5% | ~6.5% | −3.0% (negative!) |
| 2007 (pre-crisis) | ~5.5% | ~4.5% | +1.0% |
| 2009 (post-crisis bottom) | ~7.5% | ~3.5% | +4.0% |
| 2015 | ~5.5% | ~2.3% | +3.2% |
| 2020 (COVID) | ~5% | ~0.7% | +4.3% |
| 2022 (rate-hike start) | ~5% | ~3.0% | +2.0% |
| 2024 | ~4.2% | ~4.2% | 0.0% (very low) |
| Long-run average (1928-2024) | ~6.5% | ~5.0% | +1.5% |
Equity risk premium near zero historically associated with poor subsequent equity returns. The 2024 spread of ~0% is comparable to 1999, which preceded the 2000-2009 'lost decade' in stocks. Whether the current low spread mean-reverts via stock decline, earnings growth, or rate fall — or persists — is uncertain. Historical patterns are a guide, not a guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is earnings yield calculated?
Divide earnings per share by share price, then multiply by 100. A $2.50 EPS on a $50 share is a 5% earnings yield.
What is the relationship to P/E?
Exact inverse. A P/E of 20 is an earnings yield of 5% (1/20 × 100). A P/E of 10 is an earnings yield of 10%. The lower the P/E, the higher the earnings yield.
Why use earnings yield instead of P/E?
Earnings yield is on the same percentage scale as bond yields, savings rates, and other returns. P/E is a multiple — useful for valuation but harder to compare across asset classes directly.
What is the equity risk premium?
Earnings yield minus the long-term Treasury yield. Macro investors watch it as a rough indicator of whether equities are cheap or expensive versus risk-free returns. Higher premium suggests equities are cheaper relative to bonds.
Does earnings yield include dividends?
No. Earnings yield uses all of the company's earnings; only the portion paid as dividends shows up in dividend yield. The difference — retained earnings — funds growth and buybacks.
When is this calculator unreliable?
When earnings are temporarily distorted by one-time items (use normalized 3-5 year average earnings), for companies with negative or near-zero earnings, as a stand-alone metric without considering growth (high-yield stocks with declining earnings are not the same as high-yield stocks with growing earnings), or when comparing across periods with very different bond yield environments (the equity risk premium spread is the more meaningful comparison than yield alone).
References & Authoritative Sources
- U.S. Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) — S&P 500 Earnings Yield Series · consulted June 1, 2026 · Authoritative source for U.S. equity yield data
- Robert Shiller — CAPE Data — Cyclically Adjusted Price-to-Earnings Series · consulted June 1, 2026 · Long-run earnings yield reference data
- Investopedia — Earnings Yield — Earnings Yield Definition · consulted June 1, 2026 · Standard earnings yield methodology
Related Calculators
Data Sources & Benchmarks
This calculator draws on 2 independent, dated sources.
Methodology & Review
Earnings yield equals earnings per share / stock price × 100 (or net income / market capitalization × 100). It is the inverse of the P/E ratio — at P/E 20, earnings yield is 5%; at P/E 10, earnings yield is 10%. The calculator returns the percentage. Earnings yield is comparable to bond yields — it represents what the company 'pays' shareholders in earnings per dollar of stock price (whether distributed as dividends, retained for growth, or used for buybacks). U.S. S&P 500 earnings yield 2024: ~4-4.5% (inverse of ~22-25 P/E). RELIABILITY: Reliable for current period analysis. Less reliable when earnings are temporarily distorted by one-time items (use normalized earnings), for companies with negative or near-zero earnings (yield becomes undefined or volatile), or as a stand-alone valuation metric without considering growth and risk.
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