Shares outstanding
Also called: share count, number of shares
The total number of shares a company has issued and that are held by investors, including promoters.
The number of shares outstanding is used to calculate market capitalisation and per-share figures such as earnings per share. It rises when a company issues new shares, and can fall if it buys back shares.
A stock split changes the number of shares, and the price per share, without changing the company's total value.
Learn more in these lessons
- Market capitalisationWhat is market capitalisation and how is it calculated?
- Earnings per shareHow is earnings per share calculated?
- Share dilution and employee stock optionsHow do new shares and stock options affect existing shareholders?
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