Consider the following premerger information about Firm A and Firm B:

	Firm A			Firm B
Total earnings	$	1,600		$	800
Shares outstanding		1,100			300
Price per share	$	43		$	47

Assume that Firm A acquires Firm B via an exchange of stock at a price of $49 for each share of B's stock. Both A and B have no debt outstanding.

What will the earnings per share, EPS, of Firm A be after the merger a 1.78 b 1.55 c. 1.66 d. 1.82