Measuring Equity Returns: The Five Metrics Every Investor Should Know

Measuring Equity Returns: The Five Metrics Every Investor Should Know

From Money Lessons with Andrew Temte, PhD, CFA by Andrew Temte

April 18, 2026 · 13 min · Episode 131

About this episode

In this episode, Andy discusses the evolution of equity metrics and their importance in stock evaluation.

In this episode of Money Lessons, Andy traces the historical shift from dividend-focused investing to earnings-based valuation, showing how mandatory financial disclosure in the 1930s transformed the way investors evaluate stocks. He walks through five essential equity metrics—earnings per share (EPS), the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, the dividend payout ratio, the price-to-sales (P/S) ratio, and the price-to-book (P/B) ratio—explaining what each one measures and when to use it. Andy connects these modern tools back to Benjamin Graham's pioneering work in value investing and shows how they build on dividend and buyback concepts covered in earlier episodes.

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Temte

Topics covered

  • equity returns
  • investment metrics
  • value investing
  • financial disclosure
  • stock evaluation

Keywords

  • earnings per share
  • price-to-earnings ratio
  • dividend payout ratio
  • price-to-sales ratio
  • price-to-book ratio

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