Shares outstanding
Issued shares less those held by the company itself and by entities it controls.
How to read the number
This is the denominator of per-share figures: a repurchased share carries no vote and its dividend returns inside the group, so it does not belong in the calculation.
When the metric lies
Data providers count it differently — some deduct only directly held treasury stock, others also the quasi-treasury block. The discrepancy flows straight into earnings per share.
Also known as: shares outstanding