What is Shares Outstanding?

Shares outstanding refers to the total number of shares of a company's stock that are currently held by investors, including both institutional and individual investors. This number can change over time as a result of events such as stock buybacks, stock issuances, and mergers and acquisitions.

Shares outstanding is a key metric for investors as it provides insight into a company's ownership structure, its capital structure, and the overall liquidity of its stock. For example, a company with a large number of shares outstanding is generally considered to be more widely held, with a more dispersed ownership structure, than a company with a smaller number of shares outstanding.

The number of shares outstanding is also used to calculate other important metrics, such as market capitalization, earnings per share (EPS), and price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio.

In conclusion, shares outstanding is a metric that measures the total number of a company's stock that is currently held by investors. It provides insight into a company's ownership structure, capital structure, and liquidity, and is used by investors to help make informed investment decisions.

Shares Outstanding
#

Micro

Under 3M

Low

3M to 10M

Medium

10M to 50M

Large

50M+

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