
Key Takeaways
- Market capitalization is the total dollar value of all outstanding shares of a company at the current market price.
- Market cap is used to size up corporations and understand their aggregate market value.
- Companies may be categorized as large-, mid-, or small-cap depending on their market capitalization.
What companies have the largest market caps?
Market cap—or market capitalization—refers to the total value of all a company's shares of stock. It is calculated by multiplying the price of a stock by its total number of outstanding shares. For example, a company with 20 million shares selling at $50 a …
What is market cap and why is it important?
Jun 12, 2020 · Market capitalization is the total value of all of a company’s shares of stock and is calculated by multiplying the number of stock shares outstanding by the current share price. If …
How does market cap affect stock prices?
Jan 04, 2022 · Market cap refers to the total value of a publicly traded company's shares. Shorthand for "market capitalization," market cap is one way an investor can evaluate how much a company is worth. To...
How do you calculate market cap?
Nov 23, 2003 · Market capitalization refers to how much a company is worth as determined by the stock market. It is defined as the total market value of all outstanding shares. To calculate a company's market...

How does market cap affect stock price?
How Does Market Cap Affect Stock Price? Market cap does not influence share prices. It works the other way around. Market cap is arrived at by multiplying the share price by the number of shares outstanding.
Is market cap a good indicator?
The market capitalization of a company can give investors an indication of the size of the company and can even be used to compare the size of one company to another.
How much market cap is good for a stock?
Find out why size matters when it comes to analyzing companies.Type of StockMarket Capitalization RangeMega capMore than $200 billionLarge cap$10 billion to $200 billionMid cap$2 billion to $10 billionSmall cap$300 million to $2 billion1 more row•Jan 4, 2022
Is it good for a stock to have a high market cap?
Generally, market capitalization corresponds to a company's stage in its business development. Typically, investments in large-cap stocks are considered more conservative than investments in small-cap or midcap stocks, potentially posing less risk in exchange for less aggressive growth potential.
Why is market cap so important?
It allows investors to understand the relative size of one company versus another. Market cap measures what a company is worth on the open market, as well as the market's perception of its future prospects, because it reflects what investors are willing to pay for its stock.
Does market cap include cash?
I've always viewed cash as not being included in market cap, but if you think about DCF analysis, the market cap or equity value of a company is really just the present value of cash flows generated by the business, including the cash currently on the balance sheet.
Is market cap same as net worth?
4 Answer(s) No market cap is not the same as net worth. Net worth is the book value (Assets - Liabilities). The market cap of a company is the value of all the company shares trading in the stock market.
Is high market cap good crypto?
In general, the higher the market cap of a cryptocurrency, the more dominant it is considered to be in the market. For this reason, market cap is often regarded as the single most important indicator for ranking cryptocurrencies.
What does market cap tell you crypto?
Crypto market capitalization is the total value of a cryptocurrency. Where stock market capitalization is calculated by multiplying share price times shares outstanding, crypto market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the price of the cryptocurrency with the number of coins in circulation.
Why is market cap not important?
It is inadequate to value a company because the market price on which it is based does not necessarily reflect how much a piece of the business is worth. Shares are often over- or undervalued by the market, meaning the market price determines only how much the market is willing to pay for its shares.
Is low market cap good crypto?
Mid-cap cryptocurrencies have market caps between $1 billion and $10 billion – they generally are considered to have more untapped potential upside but also higher risk. Small-cap cryptocurrencies have a market cap of less than $1 billion and are most susceptible to dramatic swings based on market sentiment.
Which cryptocurrency has the highest market cap?
Bitcoin1. Bitcoin. Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency and it remains the go-to leader of the space. As of this writing, the market capitalization of the world's top digital currency is more than $125 billion, with a price per coin of more than $7,305.
What is market cap?
Market cap allows investors to size up a company based on how valuable the public perceives it to be. The higher the value, the "bigger" the company. Public companies are also grouped based on their size — most commonly, small-cap, mid-cap and large-cap.
How to calculate market cap?
Market capitalization is the total value of all of a company’s shares of stock and is calculated by multiplying the number of stock shares outstanding by the current share price. If a company has issued 10 million shares and its share price is $100, its market cap is $1 billion. Shares outstanding includes all shares — those available to ...
What are mid cap stocks?
If large-cap companies have already seen rapid growth, mid-cap companies are often in the midst of it. With that growth comes the opportunity for higher, faster gains, but also the potential for more drastic downturns. Mid-cap companies are often household names, too, but typically aren’t national — or international — behemoths like the companies above. A few mid-cap stocks include: 1 Boston Beer Company (maker of Samuel Adams). 2 Cracker Barrel. 3 Etsy. 4 Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. 5 Dick’s Sporting Goods.
What is the difference between large cap and small cap?
If large-caps are the big cruise liners that can withstand the stormiest seas, small-caps are the sailboats that can be rocked by a single wave. Still, the opportunity for growth they present can benefit an investor’s portfolio, provided the potential downside is buoyed by the relative stability of large-cap stocks.
How much is a small cap?
Small-cap: $250 million to $2 billion. Small-cap stocks are often young companies with the potential for high growth. These stocks may have the possibility of high returns (that small-cap could indeed grow to be a mid- or large-cap) but they also come with the possibility of significant losses.
Is market capitalization the same as enterprise value?
Market capitalization vs. enterprise value. There’s one final distinction to understand: Market capitalization isn't the same as a company’s enterprise value. While market cap measures the value of a company’s equity, enterprise value measures the total value of the business, including its debts, assets and cash.
What is a micro cap?
Micro- and mega-cap. There are two other market-cap categories, generally referred to as micro-cap (below $250 million) and mega-cap (the largest companies on the stock market, some of which overlap with large-cap). Micro-cap stocks are considered some of the riskiest investments.
Why is market cap important?
Market cap is helpful when evaluating a company's size. But don't let the market value of a company cause you to dismiss large- or even mega-cap stocks as "too big to buy.". The global economy is enormous, serving more than 7 billion people and with a fast-growing middle class.
Where is Jason from Fool?
Born and raised in the Deep South of Georgia, Jason now calls Southern California home. A Fool since 2006, he began contributing to Fool.com in 2012.
Why is market capitalization important?
Using market capitalization to show the size of a company is important because company size is a basic determinant of various characteristics in which investors are interested, including risk. It is also easy to calculate. A company with 20 million shares selling at $100 a share would have a market cap of $2 billion.
What is a large cap company?
Large-cap, or big-cap, companies typically have a market capitalization of $10 billion or more. These large companies have usually been around for a long time, and they are major players in well-established industries.
How to calculate market cap?
Commonly referred to as "market cap," it is calculated by multiplying the total number of a company's outstanding shares by the current market price of one share. As an example, a company with 10 million shares selling for $100 each would have ...
Does market cap measure equity?
Although it is used often to describe a company, market cap does not measure the equity value of a company. Only a thorough analysis of a company's fundamentals can do that. It is inadequate to value a company because the market price on which it is based does not necessarily reflect how much a piece of the business is worth. Shares are often over- or undervalued by the market, meaning the market price determines only how much the market is willing to pay for its shares.
Why is market cap important?
Given its simplicity and effectiveness for risk assessment, market cap can be a helpful metric in determining which stocks you are interested in, and how to diversify your portfolio with companies of different sizes.
What is market capitalization?
Market capitalization refers to the market value of a company’s equity. It is a simple but important measure that is calculated by multiplying a company’s shares outstanding by its price per share. For example, a company priced at $20 per share and with 100 million shares outstanding would have a market capitalization of $2 billion.
How to determine what a company is worth?
Understanding what a company is worth is an important task, and often difficult to quickly and accurately ascertain. Market capitalization is a quick and easy method for estimating a company's value by extrapolating what the market thinks it is worth for publicly traded companies. In such a case, simply multiply the share price by the number ...
What is market capitalization?
Market capitalization is the total value of a company's shares. The simple calculation is: Total number of outstanding shares multiplied by the current share price. So, if Company A has 10 million shares outstanding and the current price of one share is $10, Company A's market cap is $100 million.
Why is market capitalization important for investors?
A balanced portfolio typically includes a mix of different market caps because each has unique attributes that contribute to an investor's long-term goals. Market cap allows investors to measure a company's size.
What affects a company's market capitalization?
Based on the equation above, there are only two levers for changing market cap: share price and shares outstanding. For example, if the price increases, then all things being equal, the market cap will increase, too.
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How to calculate market cap?
Colloquially called "market cap," it is calculated by multiplying the total number of a company's shares by the current market price of one share.
What is market capitalization?
Market capitalization is a key measure of profitability that is also used in equations to determine price-to-earnings and other significant metrics. Market cap is generally broken down as micro cap, small cap, mid cap, large cap and ultra or mega cap.
How to determine market capitalization?
It's determined by multiplying the company's stock price by its total number of outstanding shares. Investors can use market capitalization to assess the value of a stock they are considering buying.
Why is market capitalization important?
Market capitalization is a useful figure to examine when trying to understand a company's structure and profitability, and therefore a stock's value . It can be used to determine a variety of key performance metrics, including price-to-earnings and price-to-free-cash flow.
What does market cap mean?
The market cap represents the amount you would pay to buy up all of the company's shares, not necessarily its true value. The size of a business's market cap determines the broad category of publicly traded company it falls under— small-cap, mid-cap, or large-cap .
How to calculate enterprise value?
To calculate a company's enterprise value, you add its market cap to the value of its outstanding preferred shares (if any) to any minority interest in the company (if any). Then, add in the market value of its debt, and subtract its cash and equivalents.
What is float method?
It is calculated using the float method or the free-float method. Float is the number of shares a company has that are outstanding and owned by the public investors.
Who is Ken Little?
Ken Little is an expert in investing, including stocks and markets. He is the author of 15 books on investing and his career in finance includes roles as business news editor and VP of Marketing for a financial services firm. Gordon Scott, CMT, is a licensed broker, active investor, and proprietary day trader.
