Outstanding shares意思

"Outstanding shares" is a term used in the context of corporate finance and stock markets to refer to the total number of shares of a company's stock that are currently held by all of its shareholders, excluding those held in the company's treasury. These shares are issued and circulating in the market, and they include both those held by individual investors and institutional investors, as well as those held by the company's founders, executives, and employees.

Outstanding shares are an important figure for investors because they are used to calculate key metrics such as earnings per share (EPS) and the market capitalization of the company. EPS is calculated by dividing the company's net income by the number of outstanding shares, while market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the company's share price by the number of outstanding shares.

The number of outstanding shares can change over time due to various factors such as stock splits, stock buybacks, and the issuance of new shares through offerings or employee stock options. These changes can have significant implications for the company's financial position and its stock price.