Glossary
Shares outstanding
The number of shares held by investors on a given date, from the filing cover page.
Shares outstanding is the number of a company’s shares held by investors, including insiders, on a given date. Shares the company has bought back and holds as treasury stock are not counted.
The count is on the cover page of every 10-K and 10-Q. Apple’s fiscal 2026 10-K reports 14.53B shares outstanding as of Oct 23, 2026.
It is a different number from the weighted average shares used for EPS, which is an average over the whole year. When a company is buying back stock, the cover-page count is usually the lower of the two.
Longer explainer: Basic vs. diluted shares
Related terms: Market cap, Stock buyback
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Disclosures
- Editor holdings
- The editor holds no position in any company named on this page. As of Nov 11, 2026.
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- Sources
- The SEC filings linked next to each figure.
- Last updated
- Nov 11, 2026
General education, the same for every reader. Not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, and it doesn’t consider your situation.