market to book

A ratio comparing the market price of a firm's common stock with the stock's book value per share. Essentially, the market to book ratio relates what the investors believe a firm is worth to what the firm's accountants say it is worth according to accepted accounting principles. A low ratio indicates investors' belief that the firm's assets have been overvalued on its financial statements. Also called price-to-book-value ratio.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.

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