This number entails how much is being traded in the open market. A decreasing shares outstanding over time may be the result of company buybacks. Alphabet shares outstanding for the quarter ending March 31, 2020 were 0.739B, a 1.17% decline year-over-year. This metric excludes the company's treasury shares. Shares outstanding can be defined as the number of shares held by shareholders (including insiders) assuming conversion of all convertible debt, securities, warrants and options. With 298.3 million A shares outstanding, and 47.0 million B shares, that means the B shareholders receive 470 million votes, or 61% of the voting power. Shares Outstanding Definition. They have voting rights and represent ownership in the corporation by the person that holds the shares. Companies frequently make stock buybacks and retire those buybacks as treasury stock. Alphabet(Google) Shares Outstanding (Diluted Average) Calculation Shares outstanding are shares that have been authorized, issued, and purchased by investors and are held by them. The volume of stock shares issued by the company and in the hands of the public. Total Cash Per Share (mrq) 171.73: Total Debt (mrq) 16.8B: Total Debt/Equity (mrq) 8.25: Current Ratio (mrq) 3.66: Book Value Per Share (mrq) 297.76 "currency" - The currency in which the security is priced. "shares" - The number of outstanding shares.