what is the earnings growth rate, for stocks?
Is it a percentage year to year?
How can you compare this with the P/E?
Earnings growth rate is the percentage that a companies earnings have increased or, if negative, decreased. It's usually expressed as quarterly year-over-year. That means the difference between the most recently reported quarter to the same quarter last year.
P/E is the current stock price divided by the earnings for the last four quarters. Earnings growth rate will often influence the future stock price. Since P/E for a company usually remains somewhat stable if the earnings increase the stock price will also increase.