SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange Function: Analyze 3-Year Changes in Shares Outstanding

The SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange function in MarketXLS helps you quickly analyze how a company’s shares outstanding have grown or shrunk over a three-year period. This is highly useful for investors tracking stock dilution, buyback activities, and the overall share structure of a public company. With just one parameter (the ticker symbol), you gain an at-a-glance view of how the number of shares has evolved—no lengthy manual calculations required.

Why Use This Function?

• Monitor Share Dilution: Assess if a company is issuing more shares (which could impact existing shareholders).
• Track Buybacks: Identify trends where companies repurchase their own shares.
• Investment Insights: Combine this data with EPS or revenue growth metrics for a holistic investment thesis.
• Quick Overview: Instantly retrieve a numeric growth value or “NA” if data is not available, saving time on manual research.
• Ideal for Fundamental Analysis: Great for spotting changes in share counts that can affect key ratios (e.g., EPS).

How to Use in Excel

=SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange("SYMBOL")

• Replace "SYMBOL" with the valid ticker symbol (e.g., "AAPL", "MSFT", "GOOGL").
• Press Enter to retrieve the three-year change in shares outstanding as a numeric value.
• If the symbol is invalid or data is unavailable, the function returns "NA".

Parameters Explained

• You only need this single parameter to get the three-year growth in shares outstanding.
• An active MarketXLS license is required; otherwise, the function may return an error message or "NA".

Example Usage

Basic Examples

1. =SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange("AAPL")
   • Returns a numerical value indicating the growth (or decline) in Apple’s shares outstanding over three years.
   • If Apple issued new shares, you might see a positive growth figure. If Apple repurchased shares, the value could be negative.

2. =SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange("MSFT")
   • For Microsoft, this will display how the total outstanding shares changed in the last three years.
   • Useful for evaluating how buybacks factor into Microsoft’s capital allocation strategy.

Advanced Scenarios

• Multiple Tickers in a Table:
=SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange(A2)
=SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange(A3)
=SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange(A4)
Where each cell (A2, A3, A4) holds different ticker symbols. This setup lets you compare multiple companies’ three-year share changes side by side.

• Combination with Other Metrics:
You could pair this function with revenue or EPS growth formulas to see if share changes were accompanied by a healthy business expansion, or if they merely offset any positive earnings trends.

• Portfolio Monitoring:
Use a watchlist of tickers and apply SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange to gauge which companies are likely diluting their shares more swiftly.

Common Questions and Troubleshooting

• What if I get "NA"?

• "NA" can appear if the symbol is invalid, the license is not active, or enough historical fundamentals data isn’t available for the past three years.

• Does it return a positive or negative number?

• Yes, it can return either sign. A positive figure suggests an increase (potential share dilution) while a negative figure indicates a net decrease (possible share buyback).

• Can I use this for non-US tickers?

• Try it with the symbol you have in mind. If MarketXLS has the fundamental data for that company, you should get a result. Otherwise, it may return "NA."

• Do I need historical data in Excel?

• No, MarketXLS retrieves the needed fundamentals from its own data server, requiring only an internet connection and a valid license.

• What if data is still being refreshed?

• Sometimes the function might temporarily return "Refreshing" or "NA". Wait a moment and recalculate, ensuring your data feed and license are active.

By leveraging the SharesOutstandingThreeYearChange function, you gain quick insights into a company’s long-term changes in outstanding shares. This vital piece of information can clarify whether share dilution is impacting long-term valuation or if strategic buybacks are bolstering share value—helping you make more informed investment decisions faster.