Basic terms

Restricted and Float Shares

Restricted shares refer to a company's issued stock that cannot be bought or sold without special permission by the SEC. This type of stock is given to insiders as part of their salaries or as additional benefits.

Float Share refers to a company's shares that are freely bought and sold without restrictions by the public.

Authorized Shares 

Authorized shares refer to the largest number of shares that a single corporation can issue. The number of authorized shares per company is assessed at the company's creation and can only be increased or decreased through shareholders' vote.

Outstanding Shares

Outstanding shares refer to the number of stocks that a company actually has issued. This number represents all the shares that can be bought and sold by the public, as well as all the restricted shares that require special permission before being transacted.