The amount of money that a company earns from its regular business activities for each share of its common stock. It is calculated by taking the company’s net income (the money that is left after paying all expenses and dividends to preferred shareholders) and dividing it by the average number of common shares that were available during the period. It does not include any money that the company made or lost from selling or closing parts of its business, or from unusual or one-time events. It also does not include any shares that could be created from other securities (such as bonds or options). This number shows how profitable a company is from its core operations.