The study aims at examining the magnitude and nature of the relationship between earnings per share and market price of ordinary shares in Nigeria banking industry from 2004 to 2013. In addition, it aims at ascertaining the impact of earnings per share on prices of ordinary shares in Nigerian banking industry. Ordinary least squares method in the form of multiple regression was applied in the analysis. Stationarity test was conducted using the Augmented Dickey- Fuller (ADF) and Phillip Perrons (PP) tests. The result reveals that earnings per share significantly and positively influence the market price of ordinary shares; with a strong and positive association too. Earnings per share also granger causes market price of ordinary shares and these characteristics are sustainable in the long run in Nigerian banking sector. The implication of the findings is that an increase in earnings has the tendency of increasing significantly the market price of shares and earnings per share is one of the key factors responsible for fluctuations in market price of ordinary shares in Nigerian banking sector. Therefore, it is pertinent for banks targeting the enhancement of their equity price to adopt workable strategies towards attracting more deposit, increasing their lending, reducing their expenditure profile and opening up other investment avenues to improve upon their earnings.
Keywords: Banks’, Earnings, Granger, Nigeria, Regression, Shares
