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In addition to reporting earnings per share, corporations must report diluted earnings per share. This accounts for the possiblity that all outstanding warrants and stock options are exercised, and all convertible bonds and preferred shares are exchanged for common stock.
Diluted earnings actually report the smallest potential earnings per common share that a company could have based on its current earnings. In theory, at least, knowing the diluted earnings could influence how much you would be willing to pay for the stock.
- Browse Related Terms: 10-k, 8-k, Acquisition, Audit committee, Closely held, Conglomerate, Depositary bank, Diluted earnings per share, Insider trading, Merger, Privatization, Retained earnings, Reverse stock split, Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, Spin-off, Stock split