
In general, stocks with low floats will experience shares outstanding formula more volatility than those with large floats. Other companies may explicitly list their outstanding shares as a line item in the equity section of their balance sheet. By calculating a company’s weighted average number of outstanding shares, we can get a more accurate picture of its earnings.
Stock buybacks, for instance, reduce the number of outstanding shares, potentially boosting the company’s earnings per share (EPS) and making each share more valuable. Yes, the number of outstanding shares of a company can be found in SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) filings such as 10-K annual reports and 10-Q quarterly reports. The equity part of the balance sheet reports the overall number of outstanding shares.

A company’s outstanding shares decrease when there is a reverse stock split. A company generally embarks on a reverse split or share consolidation to bring its share price into the minimum range necessary to satisfy exchange listing requirements. While the lower number of outstanding shares often hampers liquidity, it could also deter short sellers since it becomes more difficult to borrow shares for short sales. In financial analysis, understanding the shares outstanding is fundamental to gauging a company’s market value and shareholder equity.
Restricted stock are shares that are owned by company insiders, employees and key shareholders that are under temporary restriction, and therefore cannot be traded. Total outstanding shares represent the number of shares of a company’s stock that are currently held by all its shareholders, including institutional investors, company insiders, and the public. The company has issued these shares, and are in the hands of investors who may buy and sell them on the open market. Outstanding shares refer to the entire number of issued and owned shares of a company’s stock by investors, including institutional investors, insiders, and retail investors. Insiders hold restricted shares not available for public trading, and openly traded shares make up outstanding shares.


Those companies buy back and retire shares, instead of holding them in the treasury. The number of outstanding shares is also connected to the stability of the company. A company having larger number of shares outstanding will be much more stable than a company which has bookkeeping lower number of share outstanding.
There are also considerations to a company’s outstanding shares if they’re blue chips. Companies can utilize treasury shares for 3 main purposes, including employee stock options, stock-based pay, and share repurchases. When a company purchases its own stock, it lowers the number of outstanding shares, enhancing earnings per share and the stock price. On the other hand, stock issuance occurs when a company issues more shares to the market, which increases the number of outstanding shares. This can occur when a company needs to generate funds via a public offering or private placement.
On the Bookkeeping for Veterinarians other hand, issued shares are the total shares a company issues to the public in order to raise funds. Charlie as an investor will love to determine the company’s market capitalization and its earnings per share. First of all, he will have to calculate the total number of outstanding shares. The outstanding shares formula is represented as issued shares minus shares held in the company’s treasury or treasury stock. Through this formula, one can determine the outstanding shares of a company.
