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Book Value Per Share Calculator
Calculate BVPS for any US-listed stock. Live book value per share, P/B ratio, quarterly trend, and sector context — free.
Inputs
Enter any US-listed ticker to calculate live BVPS, P/B ratio, shares outstanding, and quarterly trend.
Results
Enter a ticker to calculate Book Value Per Share
Load any US-listed stock to see BVPS, P/B ratio, shares outstanding, and quarterly trend.
What Is Book Value Per Share?
The definition
Book value per share is the accounting net worth of a company divided by its shares outstanding. It answers: if the company were dissolved today and all assets were sold at book value to pay off all liabilities, how much would each shareholder receive per share?
BVPS = Total Shareholders' Equity ÷ Diluted Shares Outstanding. Because equity is total assets minus total liabilities, BVPS is essentially the balance-sheet floor per share.
Why it matters
BVPS is the foundation of the price-to-book (P/B) ratio — one of the oldest value-investing metrics. Benjamin Graham used it to identify companies trading near or below their net asset value.
A rising BVPS over time means the company is building equity — retaining earnings and compounding shareholder value. A declining BVPS can signal losses, large buybacks, or asset write-downs eroding the equity base.
How to Use BVPS in Analysis
Calculate BVPS
Enter any US ticker. The calculator fetches the latest quarterly balance sheet, divides total shareholders' equity by diluted shares, and displays BVPS.
Check P/B ratio
P/B = price ÷ BVPS. A P/B below 1× means the stock trades below book. A P/B above the sector median suggests the market prices in a quality or growth premium.
Review trend
The quarterly chart shows whether BVPS is growing, flat, or declining. Growing BVPS combined with a low P/B is a classic value signal. Declining BVPS warrants deeper investigation.
Read sector context
P/B norms vary enormously by sector. Banks near 1× book is normal; tech at 8× is also normal. The sector note explains what BVPS and P/B mean for the specific industry.
BVPS & P/B Ratio by Sector
| Sector | BVPS & P/B Context |
|---|---|
| Financial Services | Central to valuation — banks near 1× book is the norm. BVPS is the primary anchor. |
| Real Estate | REITs often trade near NAV. BVPS is a fundamental floor for property-based businesses. |
| Utilities | Regulated asset base. BVPS stable and P/B near 1–2× is typical. |
| Energy | Reserves and PP&E dominate. BVPS and P/B are primary valuation anchors. |
| Basic Materials | Mining and chemicals carry tangible assets. BVPS reflects the resource base. |
| Industrials | Capital-intensive. BVPS anchored in plant and equipment — compare P/B to peers. |
| Consumer Cyclical | Retail and auto carry significant tangible assets. BVPS is meaningful for asset-heavy names. |
| Consumer Defensive | Stable earnings businesses. BVPS useful alongside P/E and dividend yield. |
| Healthcare | Mix of asset-heavy devices and asset-light pharma. BVPS varies widely by sub-sector. |
| Communication Services | Towers and spectrum are real assets; brands and content less visible on the balance sheet. |
| Technology | Asset-light. BVPS often low relative to price — P/B premiums are common and expected. |
Limitations of Book Value Per Share
Intangibles are invisible
Brands, patents, software, and customer relationships rarely appear on the balance sheet at their true value. Technology and consumer companies can have enormous economic value that BVPS completely misses, which is why their P/B ratios are high — not because they are overvalued, but because their real assets are off-book.
Buybacks distort book value
Share repurchases reduce equity on the balance sheet, which lowers BVPS and raises the P/B ratio — even if the business is fundamentally unchanged. Apple's negative book equity is an extreme example. When a company carries out heavy buybacks, P/B becomes a poor comparator to peers who do not.
Accounting choices matter
Asset depreciation schedules, goodwill from acquisitions, inventory accounting methods, and write-downs all directly affect book value. Two companies with identical real assets can show very different BVPS figures based on conservative vs. aggressive accounting. Always check what drives the equity figure.
Pair with ROE
A high P/B is not a red flag if the company earns a high return on equity (ROE). The relationship P/B = ROE × P/E shows that a premium to book is justified when the company earns above its cost of equity. Always read BVPS and P/B alongside ROE and compare both to the sector. Use the ROE calculator alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
What is book value per share?
Book value per share (BVPS) is the portion of a company's shareholders' equity allocated to each outstanding share. It is calculated by dividing total shareholders' equity — total assets minus total liabilities — by the number of diluted shares outstanding. BVPS represents the accounting 'floor' value of each share if the company were liquidated at balance-sheet values.
How do you calculate BVPS?
BVPS = Total Shareholders' Equity ÷ Diluted Shares Outstanding. Total equity is found on the balance sheet as total assets minus total liabilities. For example, if a company has $10 billion in equity and 1 billion shares outstanding, BVPS = $10 per share. This calculator pulls live balance sheet data from the latest quarterly filing when you enter a ticker.
What is a good BVPS?
There is no universal 'good' BVPS — it depends on context. What matters more is the price-to-book (P/B) ratio: how much the market charges per dollar of book value. A stock trading below its BVPS (P/B < 1) means the market values it at less than its stated net assets, which can signal value or distress. Compare BVPS trends over time — rising BVPS generally means the company is retaining earnings and building equity; declining BVPS can mean losses or heavy buybacks.
What is the difference between BVPS and P/B ratio?
BVPS is an absolute dollar amount — the accounting net worth per share. The P/B ratio divides the current stock price by BVPS to show how much the market charges relative to that net worth. A BVPS of $20 and a price of $40 gives a P/B of 2.0×, meaning the market values the company at twice its book value. Both metrics are complementary: BVPS gives the anchor, P/B tells you how the market prices it relative to that anchor.
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