What is free float in stocks?

Feb. 10, 2023

Recently, index provider MSCI said it has cut the free-float designations of four securities of India's Adani group.

About Free Float:

  • The free float is also known as Public float which refers to the shares of a company that can be publicly traded and are not restricted.
  • It generally excludes promoters' holding, government / strategic holding and other locked-in shares, which will not come to the market for trading in the normal course. 
  • Free Float=(Outstanding shares-Restricted Shares-Closely held shares)
  • Outstanding shares refer to the number of shares held by all of the company’s shareholders
  • Restricted shares refer to shares that are not transferable until certain conditions are met. Restricted shares are generally held by corporate management, such as executives and directors.
  • Closely-held shares refer to shares that are typically held onto for a very long-term basis. Examples include major long-term shareholders and insiders.
  • Free Float Methodology is used to provide a more accurate reflection of market movements and stocks actively available for trading in the market.
  • The free-float methodology has been adopted by many of the world's major indexes.
  • MSCI calculates free float-adjusted market capitalization for each security to calculate the weights of the securities in the MSCI indexes.

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