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 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.

What is the formula for the value of equity? ›

How To Calculate Equity Value. Equity value is the market value of the equity (also known as market capitalization) plus the fair value of stock options and convertible securities. The formula for equity value is: Equity value = Market capitalization + Fair value of stock options + Fair value of convertible securities.

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 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.

What is market value definition formula? ›

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 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.

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.

Is market value the same as equity value? ›

Market capitalization is the total dollar value of all outstanding shares of a company. Equity is a simple statement of a company's assets minus its liabilities. It is helpful to consider both equity and market capitalization to get the most accurate picture of a company's worth.

How to calculate market value calculator? ›

Market Value Formula

The formula to calculate the market value of equity is the market value per share multiplied by the total number of diluted shares outstanding.

What is an example of a market value? ›

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).

What is the market value of a company? ›

The market value represents the value of a company according to the stock market. It is the price an asset would get in the marketplace. In the context of companies, market value is equal to market capitalization. It is a dollar amount computed based on the current market price of the company's shares.

Is market value of equity the same as book value of equity? ›

Key Differences

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 added? ›

Key Takeaways

MVA is computed by first finding the total market value of the company's shares. The stockholder's equity or initial capital is then subtracted from the resulting sum. A higher MVA is preferred because it indicates that the company is generating enough money to cover the cost of capital.

How to find the 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.

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.

How is market value determined? ›

Market Value: Market value refers to the estimated price at which a property would sell in the current real estate market. It is determined by various factors, including the property's location, size, condition, amenities, and recent sales of comparable properties in the area.

What is the full formula of equity? ›

Equity equals total assets minus total liabilities.

This document should include all your company's assets and liabilities. Assets generally include: Accounts receivable. Inventory.

How do you calculate present value of equity? ›

The formula used to calculate the present value (PV) divides the future value of a future cash flow by one plus the discount rate raised to the number of periods, as shown below.

What is the value of your equity? ›

In simple terms, equity is how much of your home that you “own”. It's the amount that you've paid off your mortgage, plus how much you paid for your deposit. If the value of your home has gone up then your equity also includes the difference between the price you bought it for and its new value.

What is the formula for net equity value? ›

The value of the business, minus debt on the business, divided by the value of the business is how Net Equity % is calculated.

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