What is the difference between authorized shares and outstanding shares?

Authorized shares are shares of stock that can be issued by companies to investors. Outstanding shares are shares of stock that have been issued. In other words, authorized shares are the total number of shares that companies can legally issue or sell to investors. Outstanding shares are the total number of shares that are held by shareholders.

What is the difference between authorized and issued shares?

Authorized shares are the total number of shares a company can legally issue, while issued shares are the number the company has issued to date. The number of authorized and issued shares may be the same or different, in which case there would be more authorized than issued shares.

What is the difference between issued and outstanding shares?

Issued shares represent all the stock a company has issued. Outstanding shares, meanwhile, are the shares circulating in the market owned by investors and available for them to trade. Often, the number of issued and outstanding shares will be the same.