Floating stock can be defined as the total number of shares of a stock that are available for trading in an open market. It can be calculated by subtracting the sum of closely held shares plus restricted stock (non-transferable stock of a company) from the company’s total outstanding shares.
A stock with a small float will generally be more volatile than a stock with a large float. This is because, with fewer shares available, it may be harder to find a buyer or seller. This results in larger spreads and often lower volume.
It is the aggregate shares of a company’s stock that are available in the open market. It represents the number of outstanding stocks or shares available to the public for trading and does not include closely held shares or restricted stock.
Floating Stock
Floating stocks are subject to changes over time and are influenced by a variety of factors since they are the number of shares that are available to the public for trading. Typically, they fall into the high or low categories. Due to their availability on the market, investors choose to invest in stocks that have a higher floating price. Due to the market’s lack of liquidity or stock scarcity, a low share float hinders active trading.
Investors may be interested in a company’s floating stock level since it might show what proportion of its outstanding shares are held by insiders, such as officers and directors.
High-Float Stocks
A high-float stock is one where the vast majority of a company’s total outstanding shares are freely traded. A stock’s float is considered high if it has a large number of shares available for trading.
Stocks with a high float tend to be more predictable and less volatile. For all intents and purposes, you can expect a stock to be a “high float stock” with anything above 100 million available shares. Due to the large number of shares in the float, the liquidity can absorb any big moves.
Low Float Stocks
Low-float stocks have a small number of shares available for trading. A float of 10–20 million shares is generally considered to be a low float, but there are companies with floats below one million. When a small percentage of shares are available for public trade, it’s considered a low float.
This may be the result of having a large number of closely held or restricted shares or having few investors. The supply of shares is low, which can make them difficult to acquire and discourage investment.
Floating Shares vs. Outstanding Shares
Floating Shares
These are the number of shares that are available for trading by the public. This number is typically less than the number of outstanding shares because insiders, such as the company’s officers and directors, often own a large portion of the company’s stock. The float is important to know because it represents the number of shares that are actually available to be traded in the market.
These shares almost always come with restrictions on how and when you can trade them; hence the term “restricted stock.” The two most common restrictions are vesting rules, which define when you are allowed to sell the stock, and buyer rules, which require you to sell this stock only to the company that issued it. Whatever the details, restricted stock is not traded on the open market.
Outstanding Shares
Outstanding shares refer to the number of shares of a company’s stock that are currently owned by all shareholders, including insiders. This number can fluctuate over time as new shares are issued and existing shares are bought or sold. The number of outstanding shares is important to know because it represents the maximum number of shares that could be traded in the market.
Each share of stock in a company measures a percentage of ownership in that company overall. For example, say a company releases 50% of its total ownership in the form of 100 shares of stock. In this case, each person who bought one share of stock would own 0.5% of the company.
FAQ
What determines a stock’s float?
The float of stock refers to the number of shares a company has issued for public trading. A company’s stock float is calculated by subtracting the number of closely held and restricted shares from the number of total outstanding shares.
How do you know if a stock is floating?
To calculate a company’s floating stock, subtract its restricted stock and closely held shares from its total number of outstanding shares. Floating stock will change over time as new shares may be issued, shares may be bought back, or insiders or major shareholders may buy or sell the stock.
What are the benefits of floating shares?
It allows you to offer employees extra incentives by granting share options; this can encourage and motivate your employees to work towards long-term goals, placing a value on your business, increasing your public profile, and providing reassurance to your customers and suppliers.
What is the difference between outstanding shares and “float”?
A share outstanding is the total number of shares issued and actively held by stockholders. Floating stock is the result of subtracting closely-held shares from the total shares outstanding to provide a narrower view of a company’s active shares.
Who owns the float of a stock?
The float indicates how many shares are available for the general investing public to buy and sell. It does not include, among other things, restricted stock held by insiders. However, if insiders eventually sell their stock in the market, these shares become part of the float.
