Market Value of Equity: Definition and How to Calculate (2024)

What is Market Value Of Equity?

Market value of equity is the total dollar value of a company's equity and is also known as market capitalization. This measure of a company's value is calculated by multiplying the current stock price by the total number of outstanding shares. A company's market value of equity is therefore always changing as these two input variables change. It is used to measure a company's size and helps investors diversify their investments across companies of different sizes and different levels of risk.

Investors looking to calculate market value of equity can find the total number of shares outstanding by looking to the equity section of a company's balance sheet.

Understanding Market Value Of Equity

A company's market value of equity can be thought of as the total value of the company decided by investors. The market value of equity can shift significantly throughout a trading day, particularly if there are significant news items like earnings. Large companies tend to be more stable in terms of market value of equity owing to the number and diversity of investors they have. Small, thinly-traded companies can easily see double digit shifts in the market value of equity because of a relatively small number of transactions pushing the stock up or down. This is also why small companies can be targets for market manipulation.

Key Takeaways

  • Market value of equity represents how much investors think a company is worth today.
  • Market value of equity is the same as market capitalization and both are calculated by multiplying the total shares outstanding by the current price per share.
  • Market value of equity changes throughout the trading day as the stock price fluctuates.

Calculating Market Value of Equity

Market value of equity is calculated by multiplying the number of shares outstanding by the current share price. For example, on March 28, 2019, Apple stock was trading at $188.72 per share. As of this date, the company's stock buy back program has lowered the shares outstanding from over 6 billion to 4,715,280,000. So the market equity of capitalization is calculated as follows:

Stock Price ($188.72) x Shares Outstanding (4,715,280,000) = $889,867,641,600

For simplicity, people usually quote the above market value of equity as $889.9 billion.

The Difference Between Market Value of Equity, Enterprise Value and Book Value

Market value of equity can be compared to other valuations like book value and enterprise value. A company's enterprise value incorporates its market value of equity into the equation along with total debt minus cash and cash equivalents to provide a rough idea of a company's takeover valuation.

The market value of equity is also distinct from the book value of equity. The book value of equity is based on stockholders' equity, which is a line item on the company's balance sheet. A company's market value of equity differs from its book value of equity because the book value of equity focuses on owned assets and owed liabilities. The market value of equity is generally believed to price in some of the company's growth potential beyond its current balance sheet. If the book value is above the market value of equity, however, it may be due to market oversight. This means the company is a potential value buy.

Market Value of Equity and Market Profile

In general, there are three different levels of market capitalization, and each level has its own profile. Companies with a market capitalization of less than $2 billion are considered small capitalization, or small caps. Companies with a market capitalization of between $2 billion and $10 billion are considered medium capitalization stocks, also referred to as mid-caps. Companies with a market capitalization over $10 billion are considered large capitalization, or large caps.

Each level has a profile that can help investors gain insights into the behavior of the company. Small caps are generally young companies in the growth stage of development. They are risky, but have higher growth potential. Large caps are mature companies; they may not offer the same growth potential, but they can offer stability. Mid-caps offer a hybrid of the two. By owning stocks in each category, investors ensure a certain amount of diversification in assets, sales, maturity, management, growth rate, growth prospects and market depth.

Market Value of Equity: Definition and How to Calculate (2024)

FAQs

Market Value of Equity: Definition and How to Calculate? ›

Market value of equity

Market value of equity
Equity value is the value of a company available to owners or shareholders. It is the enterprise value plus all cash and cash equivalents, short and long-term investments, and less all short-term debt, long-term debt and minority interests.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Equity_value
is the total dollar value of a company's equity and is also known as market capitalization. This measure of a company's value is calculated by multiplying the current stock price by the total number of outstanding shares.

How do you calculate the market value of equity? ›

Equity value, commonly referred to as the market value of equity or market capitalization, can be defined as the total value of the company that is attributable to equity investors. It is calculated by multiplying a company's share price by its number of shares outstanding.

What is market value definition formula? ›

To calculate the market value of a company, you would take the total shares outstanding and multiply the figure by the current price per share. For example, if ABC Limited has 50,000 shares in circulation on the market, and each share is priced at $25, its market value would be $1.25 million (50,000 x $25).

Is market value the same as equity value? ›

The Market Cap—or “Market Capitalization”—is the total value of a company's equity from the perspective of its common shareholders. Often used interchangeably with the term “equity value,” a company's market capitalization measures the value of its common equity as of the latest market close.

What is the formula for calculating equity? ›

The balance sheet provides the values needed in the equity equation: Total Equity = Total Assets - Total Liabilities. Where: Total assets are all that a business or a company owns. This includes money, investments, equipment, or anything that has value and can be exchanged for cash.

How do I calculate my market value? ›

Use market research tools: Consider using market research tools such as industry reports or surveys to understand better the current market trends and salary ranges in your industry. Several online resources can help you determine your market value, such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and PayScale.

How to calculate market value of equity for WACC? ›

Let's say Company A has outstanding shares of 10,000, and the market price of each of the shares at this moment is US $10 per share. So, the market value of equity would be = (outstanding shares of the Company A * market price of each share at this moment) = (10,000 * US $10) = US $100,000.

What is the market value for dummies? ›

Market value is the price of an asset on the marketplace, based on the prices buyers are willing to pay and what sellers are willing to accept. For publicly traded companies, market value refers to the market capitalization: the number of outstanding shares times the share price.

What is an example of a market value? ›

Each stock has a market value. To determine the market value of a public company, investors simply multiply the number of stocks the company has by the price of the stock. So if Company A's stock price is $12 a share and they have a million shares, the market value is $12 million.

How do you calculate market value in accounting? ›

The market value is the value of a company according to the financial markets. The market value of a company is calculated by multiplying the current stock price by the number of outstanding shares that are trading in the market. Market value is also known as market capitalization.

What is market value of owners equity? ›

The value of owner's equity is derived in part from a company's assets, but owner's equity is not itself an asset. Owner's equity is calculated as the total value of a company's assets minus the company's liabilities. A company with higher assets than liabilities will show a positive owner's equity.

Does market value of equity include cash? ›

Equity value constitutes the value of the company's shares and any loans that the shareholders have made available to the business. The calculation for equity value adds enterprise value to redundant assets or non-operating assets and then subtracts the debt net of cash available.

Is market value of equity equal to its book value? ›

Book value is equal to the value of the firm's equity, while market value indicates the current market value of any firm or asset. An investor can calculate the book value of an asset when the company reports its earnings every quarter, whereas market value changes every moment.

How to calculate market value of equity from balance sheet? ›

Market value of equity is the same as market capitalization and both are calculated by multiplying the total shares outstanding by the current price per share.

How do you calculate equity value? ›

Often used interchangeably with the term “market capitalization,” the equity value is calculated by multiplying the current stock price of a company by its total number of fully diluted common shares outstanding trading in the open markets.

How do I calculate my equity? ›

Take your home's value, and then subtract all amounts that are owed on that property. The difference is the amount of equity you have. For example, if you have a property worth $400,000, and the total mortgage balances owed on the property are $200,000, then you have a total of $200,000 in equity.

What is the formula for market to book value of equity? ›

This ratio is used to denote how much equity investors are paying for each dollar in net assets. The market to book ratio is calculated by dividing the current closing price of the stock by the most current quarter's book value per share.

How is the market value of a stock determined? ›

What determines stock prices? The price of a stock is largely determined by supply and demand. If demand is high, the price tends to go up, and if supply is high, the price tends to go down.

How do you calculate market value of an asset? ›

The actual sales prices tend to form a narrow range of prices that define the market value, that point of equilibrium where buyer and seller interests come together. Average the recent sale prices, and list this value as the market value of your asset.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Van Hayes

Last Updated:

Views: 6282

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (46 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Van Hayes

Birthday: 1994-06-07

Address: 2004 Kling Rapid, New Destiny, MT 64658-2367

Phone: +512425013758

Job: National Farming Director

Hobby: Reading, Polo, Genealogy, amateur radio, Scouting, Stand-up comedy, Cryptography

Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.