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Market Capitalization: What It Is, Formula for Calculating It

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Synopsis:

Market capitalization or market cap is one of the most useful concepts. In simple terms, it reflects the market value of a company. It is calculated by multiplying the current market price of a stock by its number of outstanding shares.

Based on market cap, there are four types of stocks in the Indian stock market: Large-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of ₹20,000 crore or higher), Mid-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of more than ₹5,000 crore but less than ₹20,000 crore), Small-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of between ₹500 crore and ₹5,000 crore), and Micro-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of between ₹50 crore and ₹500 crore)

Market capitalization is one of the most important financial metrics. It indicates the market value of a company. It is calculated by multiplying a company’s current stock price by the number of its outstanding shares. The higher the number of outstanding shares and the higher the stock price, the higher the market cap of a company, and vice versa. Read this blog, as it explains what market capitalization is in detail by using a number of examples.

Understanding Market Capitalization

Market capitalization or market cap indicates a company’s size or market value. If you want to understand whether a company is big, small, or medium-sized, you can consider its market capitalization. If you want to understand its market value, you can again consider its market capitalization.

It is arrived at by multiplying the prevailing market price of a company’s share with the number of its outstanding shares. By outstanding shares, we mean the shares of a company that are owned by all kinds of shareholders, institutional, retail, and company insiders.

Typically, when a company performs well, its share price moves up. Hence, its market capitalization also increases. In other words, its market value increases. At the same time, when a company does not perform well, its market capitalization can decrease.

Additional Read: Free Float Market Capitalisation

Formula of Market Capitalization

The formula for market capitalization is given below:

Market Capitalization of a Company = Price per Share * Number of Outstanding Shares

Suppose the price per share of Company X is ₹100 and the number of its outstanding shares is 20,000, then its market capital will be 100 multiplied by 20,000, which is ₹20,00,000.

Types of Market Capitalization

Following are the types of market capitalization:

  • Large Cap: Large-cap stocks belong to the most well-established companies in India, which are leaders in their sectors. Typically, such companies have a market capitalization of ₹20,000 crore or more. They are some of the most reputed companies in India. Hence, a number of institutional and retail investors invest in their stock. As these companies are large in size, their performance is less volatile than that of mid and small-cap companies. Therefore, their stock price does not move as much as the stock prices of mid and small-cap firms. Reliance Industries and State Bank of India are two examples of large-cap stocks.

  • Mid Cap: Mid-cap stocks belong to companies with a market capitalization of more than ₹5,000 crore but less than ₹20,000 crore. These companies are smaller in size than large-cap companies but bigger than small-cap companies. Consequently, the price of mid-cap stocks can exhibit higher volatility than large-cap stocks but less volatility than small-cap stocks. If you end up correctly identifying a mid-cap stock and stay invested in it for a long time, it may become a large-cap stock, which will help you make a lot of money. Castrol India is an example of a mid-cap stock.

  • Small Cap: Companies with a market capitalization of between ₹500 crore and ₹5,000 crore are called small-cap companies. These companies are much smaller in size and scale than large-cap and mid-cap companies. Hence, they have much higher growth potential, but their performance can exhibit higher volatility than large-cap and mid-cap companies. So, investing in such companies can be riskier than investing in bigger companies.  

  • Micro Cap: Those companies that have a market capitalization of between ₹50 crore and ₹500 crore are known as micro-cap companies. Hence, they are considerably smaller than large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap companies in terms of their market cap and scale of operations. Their performance is also more volatile than that of bigger firms. Besides, they have a higher growth potential than larger companies.

Importance of Market Capitalization

You can get a good idea about the size and scale of a company’s operations by looking at its market cap. Let us say that a company’s market cap is ₹10,000 crore and it plans to invest ₹50 crore in a new plant. Suppose its new plant is unsuccessful, it is unlikely to entirely change its fortunes because ₹50 crore is a tiny amount compared to its market cap of ₹10,000 crore.

Hence, investors can draw compelling insights by considering the market capitalization of companies. Even banks and other financial institutions consider the market cap of firms before extending loans because it tells them about the market value of a company.

Can Small-Cap and Micro-Cap Stocks Be More Volatile?

Small-cap and micro-cap companies are much smaller in scale and size than large-cap and mid-cap companies. Hence, they have fewer financial resources than their larger counterparts. Therefore, in times of economic recessions or downturns, small-cap and micro-cap companies are more affected than larger companies.

Besides, most small-cap and micro-cap companies, owing to their small size, are not market leaders. Hence, on average, they do not enjoy as much goodwill or consumers’ trust as large and mid-cap companies enjoy, which causes their performance to become more volatile.

What is a Market Capitalization-Weighted Index?

It is better to take an example to explain this concept. Let us say that there are only two stocks in an economy. Stock A with a price of ₹50 per share and Stock B with a price of ₹100 per share.

Suppose, we want to make an index comprising of these two stocks. If we just consider their stock prices (₹50 and ₹100), we will be assigning equal weight to them. However, suppose the market cap of Stock A is ₹100 crore, while that of Stock B is ₹80 crore. When we multiply the respective market cap of these stocks by their stock prices, we will be able to calculate the market capitalization-weighted index.

How Do Stock Splits Affect Market Cap?

When a company splits its existing shares into multiple shares, it is called a stock split. Stock splits usually result in a corresponding change in the market price of a stock. Hence, they normally do not change the market cap of a company.

Let us say that a stock’s price is ₹100 per share. The company announces a stock split of 1:2, which means each existing share will be split into two shares. Hence, the number of its outstanding shares will get multiplied by 2, while its share price will be halved. So, the overall impact on its market capitalization will be zero.

Conclusion

If you are about to open a demat account, you must thoroughly learn the concept of market capitalization because it is one of the most useful and simplest concepts in the stock market. Before investing in a stock, you must know whether it is a large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap, or micro-cap stock because that tells you a lot about the company you are planning to invest in. When the market is going down, the prices of small-cap and micro-cap stocks are expected to fall at a faster rate than that of bigger companies. Hence, if you are risk-averse, you should not increase your exposure to such companies during stock market downturns.

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is market capitalization, and why is it important?

Answer Field

Market capitalization indicates the market value of a company. As market cap tells you about the size and scale of operations of a company, it is important. Because large-cap companies are bigger in size than small-cap companies, they are more stable than their smaller counterparts.

How is market capitalization calculated for a company?

Answer Field

Market capitalization is arrived at by multiplying the number of outstanding shares of a company by its current market price.

What are the different types of market capitalization categories?

Answer Field

Large-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of ₹20,000 crore or more), Mid-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of more than ₹5,000 crore but less than ₹20,000 crore), Small-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of between ₹5,000 crore and ₹500 crore), and Micro-Cap Stocks (with a market cap of between ₹50 crore and ₹500 crore).

How does market capitalization impact stock valuation?

Answer Field

There is no direct relationship between market capitalization and stock valuation.

Can market capitalization change over time, and if so, what causes it to fluctuate?

Answer Field

Yes, market capitalization can change over time. For example, if a company performs well, its share price is likely to increase. Hence, its market cap is also likely to move up. At times, the market cap of a company can move up or down purely due to the sentiment prevailing in the market, which may have nothing to do with the company’s performance.

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