Measuring and Control Equipment Companies By Book Value Per Share Ratio

Book Value per Share (B/S) can be calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets, and then dividing it by the total number of currently outstanding shares. It indicates the level of safety associated with each common share after removing the effects of liabilities. In other words, a shareholder can use this ratio to see how much he or she can sell the stake in the company in the event of a liquidation. The naive approach to look at Book Value per Share is to compare it to current stock price. If Book Value per Share is higher than the currently traded stock price, the company can be considered undervalued. However, investors must be aware that conventional calculation of Book Value does not include intangible assets such as goodwill, intellectual property, trademarks or brands and may not be an appropriate measure for many firms.