price-earnings ratio

[prahys-ur-ningz] /ˈpraɪsˈɜr nɪŋz/
noun
1.
the current price of a share of common stock divided by earnings per share over a 12-month period, often used in stock evaluation.
Abbreviation: p/e.
Also called price-earnings multiple.
Origin
1960-65
Examples from the web for price-earnings ratio
  • Equity valuations, as measured by the price-earnings ratio, tend to be highest when inflation is low and stable.
  • Some devise their own abstruse measures of valuation to supplement such conventional measures as the price-earnings ratio.
British Dictionary definitions for price-earnings ratio

price-earnings ratio

noun
1.
the ratio of the price of a share on a stock exchange to the earnings per share, used as a measure of a company's future profitability P/E ratio