how many stocks do apple have? Quick Guide

How many shares does Apple (AAPL) have?

This article directly answers the question "how many stocks do apple have" in the context of U.S. equities and explains what that count means, why it matters, what recent data providers report, and where to verify the definitive number. If you want a clear, step-by-step explanation of shares outstanding, differences between basic and diluted counts, historical causes of change (buybacks, splits), and sample calculations (market cap and EPS), you’ll find it here.

Quick answer (snapshot): Various reputable data vendors reported Apple’s shares outstanding in the ~14.7–15.1 billion range in late 2024–early 2026. The single authoritative number is the figure Apple reports in its latest SEC filing (10-Q or 10-K).

Definition and key terms

This section defines the basic terms you’ll see when you look up the answer to "how many stocks do apple have" and why they matter.

• Shares outstanding: The total number of issued shares that are currently held by all shareholders (including institutional holders, insiders, and restricted shares). This is the primary figure asked by investors.
• Float: The number of shares available for public trading (outstanding shares minus restricted shares held by insiders and other locked-up shares). Float matters for liquidity and volatile moves.
• Treasury shares: Shares that the company has repurchased and holds in its treasury (these are not considered outstanding). Treasury shares reduce outstanding counts when repurchased and retired.
• Fully diluted shares (diluted shares): An adjusted count that includes potential shares from convertible securities, stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), and other instruments that could become common stock. Diluted counts are used to calculate diluted EPS.

Why each matters: outstanding shares are used to compute market capitalization and per-share metrics; float affects trading dynamics; treasury shares show the effect of buybacks; diluted shares provide a conservative view of per-share measures if all convertibles are exercised.

Current reported shares outstanding

Multiple data providers and Apple’s own filings report slightly different totals depending on the reporting date and whether they show basic or diluted counts. Below are representative snapshots from reputable vendors and the company’s filings.

• CompaniesMarketCap: 14,815,307,000 (reported Jan 2026 snapshot)
• Yahoo Finance (AAPL — Key Statistics): ~14.78 billion (latest filing-based figure as of early 2026)
• StockAnalysis / YCharts / Wealthyhood: roughly 14.70–14.80 billion (early 2026 snapshots)
• Investing.com: ~14.936 billion (July 2025 snapshot)
• TradingEconomics: 15.12 billion (reported Jan 2025 snapshot)
• Apple Investor Relations / SEC filings (authoritative): Apple’s latest 10‑Q or 10‑K contains the company’s reported basic and diluted share counts at the reporting date.

Because data vendors update at different cadences and may show basic vs. diluted figures or round differently, you will commonly see small discrepancies in the 14.7–15.1 billion range. As of Jan 2026, CompaniesMarketCap and several vendors cluster near ~14.8 billion.

(Repeat reminder: the single definitive, authoritative count is whatever Apple discloses in its most recent SEC filing — check the 10‑Q for the latest quarter or the 10‑K for the annual report.)

Historical trend and causes of change

Apple’s shares outstanding have changed materially over time because of two main corporate actions: share buybacks (repurchases and retirements) and stock splits. Both affect the count, but they do so differently.

High-level timeline and themes:

• 2010s–2020s: Apple ran large, multi-year share repurchase programs that cumulatively removed billions of shares from the outstanding count (after adjusting for splits and option issuance).
• June 2014: Apple completed a 7-for-1 stock split, which increased the number of shares outstanding by a factor of seven while proportionally reducing the per-share price.
• August 31, 2020: Apple executed a 4-for-1 stock split, again increasing the share count by fourfold while keeping ownership percentages and market capitalization unchanged.

Key takeaway: Buybacks reduce the number of outstanding shares over time (improving per-share metrics like EPS if net income remains stable), while splits increase the nominal share count but do not change the company’s economic value.

Share buybacks and retirements

How repurchases work: a company uses cash (or debt) to buy shares on the open market or through tender offers. Once repurchased, shares may be held in the treasury or retired. Retired shares are cancelled and no longer count as outstanding.

How this affects investors and metrics:

• Earnings per share (EPS) rises if net income stays the same and shares outstanding fall.
• Ownership percentages shift slightly: remaining shareholders own a larger percentage of the company after a buyback.
• Market capitalization does not change solely because of a buyback (market cap = price × outstanding shares); however, the market often re-prices the stock based on perceived efficiency of capital use.

Apple’s record: Apple has been one of the largest repurchasers of its own stock in the corporate world, running sustained buyback programs funded by cash flow and, at times, debt issuance. Those buybacks are the primary reason Apple’s outstanding share count has trended lower (on a split-adjusted basis) over many years.

Stock splits

What a split does: a stock split increases the number of outstanding shares by issuing additional shares to existing shareholders at a fixed ratio (e.g., 4-for-1 means shareholders receive 4 shares for each 1 held). Splits do not change market capitalization or a shareholder’s proportional ownership.

Apple’s notable splits in recent history:

• 4-for-1 split executed Aug 31, 2020.
• 7-for-1 split executed in June 2014.

After a split, vendors and filings usually present share counts on a split-adjusted basis to avoid confusion.

How shares outstanding affect valuation and per-share metrics

Shares outstanding feed directly into several essential financial calculations.

• Market capitalization = Share price × Shares outstanding. This is the market’s valuation of the company.
• Basic EPS = Net income attributable to common shareholders / Weighted-average basic shares outstanding. Basic EPS uses the basic outstanding share count.
• Diluted EPS = Net income / Weighted-average diluted shares outstanding. Diluted EPS assumes potential conversion of options, RSUs, convertibles.
• Revenue per share, cash per share, and similar per-share ratios divide an aggregate number (revenue, cash) by shares outstanding.

Because these common metrics divide by share count, a reduction in shares outstanding (via buybacks) increases per-share measures, holding all else equal. Conversely, share issuances (e.g., from option exercises or convertible conversions) increase the share base and dilute per-share measures.

Sources and how to verify the number

To answer "how many stocks do apple have" accurately for any moment, verify with authoritative documents and reputable vendors.

Where to check:

• Apple Investor Relations: the company’s investor relations pages contain links to press releases, quarterly reports, and annual reports where official share counts are disclosed.
• SEC EDGAR (10‑Q, 10‑K): Apple’s quarterly and annual filings include the company’s reported basic and diluted weighted-average shares used in the financial statements and the balance-sheet-level outstanding shares at period end.
• Reliable data vendors: Yahoo Finance, YCharts, StockAnalysis, CompaniesMarketCap, Investing.com, TradingEconomics and others provide convenient snapshots and historical series (but they may differ slightly due to update timing or whether they display basic vs. diluted figures).

Verification tips:

• Check the filing date and the period end in the 10‑Q/10‑K: the count is time-stamped to a reporting date.
• Confirm whether the vendor is showing basic outstanding shares, diluted shares, or an estimated current outstanding figure outside of quarter-end.
• For the absolute authoritative figure, use Apple’s balance sheet or the footnotes in the latest SEC filing.

Common discrepancies and troubleshooting

Why different sources report slightly different numbers for "how many stocks do apple have":

• Reporting date differences: one vendor might show the quarter-end count (e.g., Dec 31, 2025) while another shows an updated estimate post-quarter reflecting repurchases or new issuance.
• Basic vs. diluted: some vendors report basic outstanding shares; others report diluted or an implied current outstanding.
• Inclusion/exclusion of restricted shares: the float excludes restricted or insider-locked shares, but outstanding includes them.
• Rounding and display format: vendors often round to two decimal places in billions, which creates apparent differences.
• Convertible securities: different treatments of convertibles or RSUs can change the reported diluted count.

How to troubleshoot:

• Check the filing date on Apple’s 10‑Q/10‑K and compare it to the vendor’s timestamp.
• If precise share count matters for your calculation, use Apple’s reported balance-sheet outstanding shares or weighted-average share counts in the financial-statement notes.
• For trading or liquidity questions, prioritize the float figure from a trusted vendor.

Example calculations

Below are two short worked examples that show how shares outstanding are used in basic valuation and the impact of buybacks.

Example 1 — Market capitalization calculation

• Suppose the share price is $190 per share and CompaniesMarketCap reports 14,815,307,000 shares outstanding (Jan 2026 snapshot).
• Market cap = 14,815,307,000 × $190 = $2,814,908,330,000 ≈ $2.815 trillion.

This demonstrates how the share count and share price multiply to the company’s market value. Small differences in the shares outstanding figure will change the market cap by that proportion.

Example 2 — EPS impact of a buyback

• Assume a company (for illustrative purposes only) reports net income of $100 billion for the year.
• With 15.0 billion shares outstanding, basic EPS = $100B / 15.0B = $6.667 per share.
• If the company repurchases shares reducing outstanding shares by 5% to 14.25 billion shares, EPS = $100B / 14.25B = $7.018 per share.
• EPS increases by about 5.2%, approximately matching the 5% reduction in shares. The actual EPS benefit depends on timing of the buyback during the reporting period (weighted-average shares used in EPS calculations).

Note: These examples are illustrative and avoid investment advice. They simply show arithmetic relationships among net income, shares outstanding, and per-share metrics.

Historical context and illustrative numbers

Apple has returned capital to shareholders through dividends and large buyback programs while also implementing stock splits that changed the nominal share count. Investors and analysts typically look at split-adjusted share counts and weighted-average shares when evaluating per-share trends over time.

A few points to remember:

• On a split-adjusted basis, Apple’s outstanding shares have generally declined in recent years due to net buybacks, even after adjusting for the 2020 4-for-1 split and the 2014 7-for-1 split.
• Vendors report the current outstanding either as-of the quarter end or as a more up-to-date estimate; cross-check the date.

Where the data in this article comes from

The snapshot figures and vendor reports above are drawn from established financial-data vendors and Apple’s investor filings. Representative sources used for the figures and snapshots reported here include:

• CompaniesMarketCap (shares outstanding snapshot: 14,815,307,000 as of Jan 2026)
• Yahoo Finance (AAPL key statistics: shares outstanding ~14.78B from the most recent filings)
• StockAnalysis (shares outstanding ~14.70B in early 2026)
• YCharts (14.70B — Jan 2, 2026)
• Wealthyhood (AAPL outstanding shares ~14.8B)
• Investing.com (snapshot ~14.936B in July 2025)
• TradingEconomics (reported 15.12B outstanding shares — Jan 2025 snapshot)
• Apple Investor Relations and SEC filings (10‑Q / 10‑K) — the company’s official filings are the authoritative source for the exact number at a given reporting date.

As noted earlier, the spread among vendors in the examples above is primarily due to differences in reporting date, rounding, and whether the vendor shows basic vs. diluted shares.

Common user questions (FAQ)

Q: If vendors disagree, which number should I use?

A: Use Apple’s latest SEC filing (10‑Q or 10‑K) for the definitive figure at the filing’s reporting date. For intraperiod estimates, use a reputable data vendor and confirm the vendor’s timestamp and whether the figure is basic or diluted.

Q: Does a stock split change ownership or value?

A: No. A stock split increases the number of shares held by each shareholder according to the split ratio but proportionally reduces the per-share price so that the market capitalization and ownership percentages remain unchanged.

Q: Will Apple’s share count change soon?

A: It can change whenever Apple executes repurchases, issues new shares for compensation plans, or otherwise alters its capital structure. Check Apple’s investor relations and recent SEC filings for the most current information.

See also

• Market capitalization
• Earnings per share (EPS) and diluted EPS
• Float (public float vs outstanding shares)
• SEC filings: 10‑Q and 10‑K
• Share repurchase program

References

• CompaniesMarketCap — Apple shares outstanding (14,815,307,000 as of Jan 2026 snapshot)
• Yahoo Finance — AAPL key statistics (shares outstanding ~14.78B according to recent filings)
• StockAnalysis — AAPL shares outstanding ~14.70B (early 2026)
• Wealthyhood — AAPL profile (outstanding shares ~14.8B)
• YCharts — Shares outstanding 14.70B (Jan 2, 2026)
• Investing.com — Shares outstanding ~14.936B (July 2025 snapshot)
• TradingEconomics — Shares outstanding reported 15.12B (Jan 2025 snapshot)
• Apple Investor Relations — official stock information and links to 10‑Q/10‑K filings

News & industry context:

• A recent industry roundup (reporting noted as of Jan 2026) highlighted broader technology-sector leadership and the growing importance of AI and semiconductor innovation across the market. That context explains why large tech companies attract intense investor attention but does not change Apple’s share-count facts. (Reported date noted to provide timeliness.)

Notes

Share counts are time-sensitive. Always verify "how many stocks do apple have" by checking Apple’s most recent SEC filing (10‑Q or 10‑K) or the company’s investor relations disclosure for the precise, authoritative figure at the reporting date.

Further steps and where to go next

If you want to keep tracking Apple’s outstanding shares and related per-share metrics:

• Regularly check Apple’s investor relations page and the latest 10‑Q/10‑K filings.
• Use reputable data vendors for convenient snapshots but verify timestamps and whether the figure is basic or diluted.
• For trading and custody, consider secure platforms and custody solutions. Explore Bitget for trading options and the Bitget Wallet for asset custody and on‑chain management.

Thank you for reading this guide on "how many stocks do apple have". For more practical guides about company stock metrics, per-share calculations, and how to verify equity data using official filings, explore other Bitget Wiki resources and official company filings.