Stock Definition:

P/E ratio - price/earnings ratio

The most common measure of how expensive a stock is. The P/E ratio is equal to a stock's market capitalization divided by its after-tax earnings over a 12-month period, usually the trailing period but occasionally the current or forward period. The value is the same whether the calculation is done for the whole company or on a per-share basis. For example, the P/E ratio of company A with a share price of $10 and earnings per share of $2 is 5.

The higher the P/E ratio, the more the market is willing to pay for each dollar of annual earnings. Companies with high P/E ratios are more likely to be considered "risky" investments than those with low P/E ratios, since a high P/E ratio signifies high expectations. Comparing P/E ratios is most valuable for companies within the same industry. The last year's price/earnings ratio (P/E ratio) would be actual, while current year and forward year price/earnings ratio (P/E ratio) would be estimates, but in each case, the "P" in the equation is the current price.

Companies that are not currently profitable (that is, ones which have negative earnings) don't have a P/E ratio at all. also called earnings multiple.

Hemispherx BioPharma, Inc

Sector: Healthcare
Company website: Investor Relations
Key Development News: Hemispherx BioPharma News

Hemispherx Biopharma, (AMEX:HEB) based in Philadelphia, is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture and clinical development of new drug entities for treatment of viral and immune-based disorders. Hemispherx’s flagship products include Alferon N Injection® and the experimental immunotherapeutics/antivirals Ampligen® and Oragens®.

Alferon N Injection® is the company's registered trademark for its injectable formulation of Natural Alpha Interferon, and is approved by the FDA for a category of STD infection. Alferon N Injection® (interferon alfa-n3 human leukocyte derived) is a highly purified, natural source, glycosylated, multispecies alpha interferon product, composed of eight forms of high-purified alpha interferon.

Alferon LDO® (Low Dose Oral) is a new experimental drug delivery platform for the Company’s highly purified, natural source alpha interferon.

Ampligen® (poly I:poly C12U) is a synthetic specifically configured double-stranded RNA containing regularly occurring regions of mismatching. Ampligen® and Oragens® experimental nucleic acids are being developed for the potential treatment of globally important viral diseases and disorders of the immune system including HPV, HIV, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Hepatitis and influenza.

Hemispherx’s platform technology includes large and small agent components for potential treatment of various viral infections. Hemispherx has in excess of 100 patents comprising its core intellectual property estate covering various forms of double stranded (ds) RNA and their fields of therapeutic application, a fully commercialized product (Alferon N) and a GMP certified manufacturing facilities for its novel pharma products in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Hemispherx is engaged in broad-based ongoing experimental studies assessing the efficacy of their products Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection® and Alferon LDO® against influenza viruses as an adjuvant single agent antiviral with the Defence R&D Canada, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, the Princess Margaret Hospital in Hong Kong and various research affiliates of the National Institutes of Health in the United States.

Claymore/MAC Global Solar Index (ETF)

Sector: Energy
ETF website: Investor Relations
Key Development News: TAN News

The Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy Index ETF (NYSE:TAN), the "Fund", seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before the Fund’s fees and expenses, of an equity index called the MAC Global Solar Energy Index (the “Index”). The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its total assets in common stock, American depositary receipts ("ADRs") and global depositary receipts ("GDRs") that comprise the Index. Claymore Advisors, LLC (the "Investment Adviser") seeks a correlation over time of 0.95 or better between the Fund’s performance and the performance of the Index. A figure of 1.00 would represent a perfect correlation.

The Fund, using a low cost “passive” or “indexing” investment approach, will seek to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. The Index is designed to track companies within the following business segments of the solar energy industry: companies that produce solar power equipment and products for end-users, companies that produce fabrication products (such as the equipment used by solar cell and module producers to manufacture solar power equipment) or services (such as companies specializing in the solar cell manufacturing or the provision of consulting services to solar cell and module producers) for solar power equipment producers, companies that supply raw materials or components to solar power equipment producers or integrators; companies that derive a significant portion of their business (measured in the manner set forth below under “Index Methodology" section) from solar power system sales, distribution, installation, integration or financing; and companies that specialize in selling electricity derived from solar power. The Index is currently comprised of approximately 25 stocks selected based upon the relative importance of solar power within the company’s business model, as determined by MAC Indexing LLC ("MAC").