Book Value

What It Is:

Book value refers to the total amount a company would be worth if it liquidated its assets and paid back all its liabilities. Book value can also represent the value of a particular asset on the company's balance sheet after taking accumulated depreciation into account.

How It Works/Example:

Book value is calculated by taking a company's physical assets (including land, buildings, computers, etc.) and subtracting out intangible assets (such as patents)and liabilities -- including preferred stock, debt, and accounts payable. The value left after this calculation represents what the company is intrinsically worth.

Thus, book value is calculated:

Book value = total assets - intangible assets - liabilities 

Why It Matters:

Since book value represents the intrinsic net worth of a company, it is a helpful tool for investors wanting to determine if a company is underpriced or overpriced, which could indicate a potential time to buy or sell. For instance, value investors search for companies trading for prices at or below book value (indicating a price-to-book ratio of less than 1.0), which implies the shares are selling for less than the company's actual worth.