When a 1974 FAJ article denied the relevance of earnings per share as the central metric of equity analysis, it spurred more research on sources of equity value, creating the wider set of valuation tools used today.
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Abstract
The July/August 1974 issue of Financial Analysts Journal included an article with the provocative title, “Earnings per Share Don’t Count.” Author Joel M. Stern, then a vice president of Chase Manhattan Bank, was denying the relevance of the central metric of prevailing equity analysis, known by the abbreviation EPS. He encouraged investors to look beyond Wall Street’s customary EPS×P/E multiple=price target model. Stern’s landmark article opened the door for research that offers a broader perspective on the sources of equity value. Today’s wider set of valuation tools is essential in view of the changed composition of the stock universe over the past several decades.