How to Calculate Outstanding Shares of Issued Stock

Figuring out how many shares a company has outstanding is pretty simple.

Thanks to modern technology, figuring out how many shares a company has outstanding is pretty simple. You just need to get a few terms right. Many people confuse the "float" with the total number of shares outstanding, but, in fact, the float accounts only for shares available to be bought and sold by the public.

Instructions

1. Understand what is meant by "total shares outstanding." This includes all stock held by public investors and company insiders. Stock in the company's treasury is not considered outstanding.

2. Look for the outstanding shares number on the company's investor website. Usually, this is labeled "share structure" and referred to as "total issued" or "total outstanding."

3. Check financial websites for the total shares outstanding by entering the company's ticker symbol and looking for a number next to "shares" or "total."

4. Understand that total shares outstanding can fluctuate. When a company buys back its stock, the number will go down by the amount bought. It also can fluctuate when options or warrants to buy at a specific price are exercised, because that forces the company to sell stock from its treasury.

References

• Investopedia.com: The Basics of Outstanding Shares and the Float