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

Principles of Accounting Volume 1
19th Edition
ISBN:9781947172685
Author:OpenStax
Publisher:OpenStax
Chapter14: Corporation Accounting
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 22Q: What information do you need to calculate the weighted average common shares outstanding?
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Describe what is meant by the weighted-average number of common shares.

Expert Solution
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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