book value

noun [C, usually singular or U] (abbreviation BV) ACCOUNTING

Definition

› (also carrying amount, also carrying value) the value a company gives to something it owns in its accounts. The real value of this if it were sold could be more or less than this amount: The bank's shares are trading at under half their book value. Most shares are issued at a discount to book value.

› (also book equity) the value of a company as shown in its accounts. To get this value the amount a company owes is taken away from the amount a company owns: It is a company that now has a book value of £219 million. We are not about to buy a bank at 212 times book value.

(Definition of book value noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)