Everdeen Mining Inc, ended 2019 with net profits before taxes of $438,000. The company is subject to a 21% tax rate and must pay $63,300 in preferred stock dividends before distributing any earnings on the 161,000 shares of common stock currently outstanding.

a. Calculate Everdeens 2019 earnings per share (EPS).

b. If the firm paid common stock dividends of $0.76 per share, how many dollars would go to retained earnings?

a. The firm's EPS is $ . (Round to the nearest cent.)