Earnings Per Basic Share (Historical) Formula in Excel

Easily retrieve a company’s historical basic earnings per share (EPS) in Excel using the “Earnings Per Basic Share (Historical)” MarketXLS function. This formula helps analysts, investors, and researchers quickly access key historical EPS figures for comprehensive financial analysis. Learn how to use the function’s syntax, parameters, and examples to get started.

Understanding Earnings Per Basic Share (Historical)

• Purpose and Use Cases
  The “Earnings Per Basic Share (Historical)” formula returns the company’s basic earnings per share for a specified historical period. Use this to evaluate a company’s performance over quarters, years, or trailing twelve months.

• Key Benefits

  • Quickly compare EPS across different periods.
  • Ideal for trend analysis and historical performance metrics.
  • Saves time by pulling data directly into Excel cells.

• When to Use
  Use this formula when you need to analyze a company’s base-level profit allocated per share, track EPS trends, or compare historical EPS data among different symbols.

Syntax and Parameters

=hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share(Symbol, Year, [Quarter], [TTM])

?? Note: If the symbol is invalid or you do not have the required MarketXLS data subscription, the function returns "NA".

Return Value

• A numeric value representing the basic EPS for the specified historical period.
• Returns “NA” if data is unavailable or an error occurs.

Examples and Usage

Below are practical examples showing different ways to set the symbol and date parameters in Excel:

1. Direct Symbol and Year (Cell reference or typed year):

   =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT", 2022)

   Retrieves EPS for Microsoft in 2022 (annual figure).

2. Year and Quarter:

   =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT", 2022, 2)

   Displays EPS for Microsoft in 2022, Quarter 2.

3. Trailing Twelve Months:

   =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT", 2022, 3, "TTM")

   Shows EPS for the trailing 12 months from Q3 of 2022.

4. Using Relative Periods:

   =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT","lq")

   Returns Microsoft’s EPS for the last quarter.

   =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT","ly-1")

   Retrieves Microsoft’s EPS for the year before the last year.

5. Date Input Variations:

   • Cell reference:
     =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share(A1,A2)
     (where A1 might have "MSFT" and A2 might have "2022")
   • Direct date (converted to year or relative term):
     =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT", "2022")
   • Excel date functions:
     =hf_Earnings_per_Basic_Share("MSFT", TEXT(A1,"yyyy"))

? Pro Tip: Combine this function with Excel charting to graph EPS trends over multiple quarters or years.

Common Questions

1. What if my function returns “NA”?

   • Ensure you have the correct subscription for historical fundamentals data. Verify that the symbol and parameters are valid.

2. How often is the data updated?

   • Data refresh frequency depends on MarketXLS’s data providers. Typically, corporate filings are updated shortly after they are publicly available.

3. How can I improve performance for large data sets?

   • Avoid recalculating across many cells simultaneously. Use batching or staggered updates to manage performance.

4. Can I use the function for non-U.S. stocks?

   • Yes, as long as MarketXLS supports fundamental data for the specific exchange or symbol you are analyzing.

5. Why do I need a TTM parameter?

   • TTM (trailing twelve months) helps see the last four quarters combined, providing a more up-to-date rolling annual figure than a single fiscal year.

Use “Earnings Per Basic Share (Historical)” to get a precise view of a company’s historical EPS, enabling better comparisons and trend analyses for your Excel-based financial models.