Question
A company had 100,000 shares outstanding on January 1 and made a 1-for-4 bonus (scrip) issue on July 1. The weighted-average shares for basic EPS are:
Scoring
- 40% Account naming / line matching
- 40% Amount correctness
- 20% Structure / section placement
IAS 33 — Earnings per Share
Basic EPS is profit attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding. Both halves need care: the numerator is after preference dividends, and the denominator weights each share issue by the fraction of the year it was outstanding.
Common mistakes
- Using the closing share count instead of the weighted average.
- Failing to deduct preference dividends from profit before dividing.
- Time-weighting a bonus issue or share split — these are treated as though they existed for the whole of every period presented, including comparatives.
Further readingIAS 33: basic and diluted EPS