price-earnings ratio

[ prahys-ur-ningz rey-shoh, -shee-oh ]

/ ˈpraɪsˈɜr nɪŋz ˌreɪ ʃoʊ, -ʃiˌoʊ /

Save This Word!

noun

the current price of a share of common stock divided by earnings per share over a 12-month period, often used in stock evaluation. Abbreviations: P/E, p/e, PE, P-E, p-e

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also P/E ra·tio

[pee-ee-rey-shoh, -shee-oh] /ˈpiˈi ˌreɪ ʃoʊ, -ʃiˌoʊ/ .

Also called price-earn·ings mul·ti·ple

[prahys-ur-ningz muhl-tuh-puhl] /ˈpraɪsˈɜr nɪŋz ˌmʌl tə pəl/ .

Origin of price-earnings ratio

First recorded in 1960–65

Words nearby price-earnings ratio

price controls, price-cut, price cutting, price discrimination, price-dividend ratio, price-earnings ratio, price fixing, price gouging, price index, price leadership, priceless

How to use price-earnings ratio in a sentence

For EPS, an excellent guide is the CAPE, or cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratio, a measure invented by Yale economist Robert Shiller.
After soaring, then plunging, earnings are heading for a ‘new normal.’ But where is that, exactly?|Shawn Tully|October 13, 2020|Fortune
“Price for adults to $4250; From 10 years to 14 years to $2125; Under 10 years free,” the listing says.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Carlisle writes that the Air Force would want a crew ratio of 10 to one for each drone orbit during normal everyday operations.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
During an emergency that ratio could be allowed to drop to 8.5 people per orbit.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

However, the Air Force is so strapped for people that the ratio has dropped below even that reduced level.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says|Dave Majumdar|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But in more middle-class and working-class neighborhoods, sessions are typically a fourth of that price.
Iran’s Becoming a Footloose Nation as Dance Lessons Spread|IranWire|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their opportunities and earnings are relatively small, and in order to live they must figure closely.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
(p. 054) At this period it appears that tobacco was used as money, and as the measure of price and value.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Yielding to the advice of his friends, he put on it a price the amount of which abashed him.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
The great Mr. Abrahams had an unlimited commission to secure at any price, a long list of great works.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
If the high wage is paid and the short hours are granted, then the price of the thing made, so it seems, rises higher still.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

British Dictionary definitions for price-earnings ratio

price-earnings ratio

noun

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 profitabilityAbbreviation: P/E ratio

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012