While there are complexities to stock market returns, the easiest way to understand them are three key "segments" that work ...

Basic EPS is ... shares are employee stock options and investor stock warrants, both of which confer the right to purchase shares of stock at a later date for a specific price.

LumiNola / Getty Images The treasury stock method ... at the average market price during that period. The number of additional shares that must be added back to the basic share count is calculated ...

The two most common are the price ... the "basic" EPS metric described above, account for all potential shares outstanding. Financial instruments like convertible debt and employee stock options ...