Tobin's Q Ratio

Tobin's Q Ratio

A ratio of a company's market value to its total asset value. Tobin's Q ratio is based on the work of James Tobin, who suggested that a fairly priced company ought to have a price equal to its total asset value. Thus, when Tobin's Q ratio is less than one, it means that the market value of the company is less than the total asset value, indicating that it is undervalued. Likewise, when it is more than one, it indicates that the market value is higher than the total asset value and that the company might be overvalued. Tobin's Q ratio is also called simply a Q ratio.