Describe what is meant by the weighted-average number of common shares.

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING
10th Edition
ISBN:9781259964947
Author:Libby
Publisher:Libby
Chapter1: Financial Statements And Business Decisions
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Describe what is meant by the weighted-average number of common shares.

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Weighted average number of common shares

Weighted average shares outstanding refers to the number of shares of a company calculated after adjusting for changes in the share capital over a reporting period. The number of shares of a company outstanding is not constant and may change at various times throughout the year, due to a share buyback, new issues, conversion, etc. The number of weighted average shares outstanding is used in calculating metrics such as Earnings per share (EPS)  in order to provide a fair view of a company’s financial condition.

Example

Suppose that Company XYZ Corporation has 500,000 shares at the beginning of its fiscal year. At the beginning of the second quarter, debenture holders of the company decided to convert their holdings into equity shares totaling 100,000 shares. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the company buys back 50,000 shares with its cash surplus. Now, the shares outstanding at the end of the year stand at 500,000 + 100,000 – 50,000 = 550,000.

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