Book-to-Market Ratio

The book-to-market ratio is one indicator of a company's value. The ratio compares a firm's book value to its market value. A company's book value is calculated by looking at the company's historical cost, or accounting value. A firm's market value is determined by its share price in the stock market and the number of shares it has outstanding, which is its market capitalization.

The book-to-market ratio compares a company's book value to its market value. The book value is the value of assets minus the value of the liabilities. The market value of a company is the market price of one of its shares multiplied by the number of shares outstanding. The book-to-market ratio is a useful indicator for investors who need to assess the value of a company.

If the market value of a company is trading higher than its book value per share, it is considered to be overvalued. If the book value is higher than the market value, analysts consider the company to be undervalued. The book-to-market ratio is used to compare a company’s net asset value or book value to its current or market value.

The book value of a firm is its historical cost or accounting value calculated from the company’s balance sheet. Book value can be calculated by subtracting total liabilities, preferred shares, and intangible assets from the total assets of a company. In effect, the book value represents how much a company would have left in assets if it went out of business today. Some analysts use the total shareholders' equity figure on the balance sheet as the book value.

The market value of a publicly-traded company is determined by calculating its market capitalization, which is simply the total number of shares outstanding multiplied by the current share price. The market value is the price that investors are willing to pay to acquire or sell the stock in the secondary markets. Since it is determined by supply and demand in the market, it does not always represent the actual value of a firm.

Investopedia