In the context of stock markets, the public float or free float represents the portion of shares of a corporation that are in the hands of public investors as opposed to locked-in shares held by promoters, company officers, controlling-interest investors, or governments. This number is sometimes seen as a better way of calculating market capitalization, because it provides a more accurate reflection (than entire market capitalization) of what public investors consider the company to be worth. In this context, the float may refer to all the shares outstanding that can be publicly traded.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
In this Dossier
Public float in the context of S&P 500 Index
S&P 500 (Standard and Poor's 500) is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 leading companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices and includes approximately 80% of the total market capitalization of U.S. public companies, with an aggregate market cap of more than $57.401 trillion as of August 29, 2025.
The S&P 500 index is a public float weighted/capitalization-weighted index. The ten largest companies on the list of S&P 500 companies account for approximately 38% of the market capitalization of the index and the 50 largest components account for 60% of the index. As of September 2025, the 10 largest components are, in order of highest to lowest weighting: Nvidia (7.2%), Microsoft (6.3%), Apple (5.9%), Alphabet (5.0%, including both class A & C shares), Amazon (4.1%), Meta Platforms (3.2%), Broadcom (2.8%), Tesla (2.3%), Berkshire Hathaway (1.8%), and JPMorgan Chase (1.4%). The components that have increased their dividends in 25 consecutive years are known as the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats. Companies in the S&P 500 derive a collective 72% of revenues from the United States and 28% from other countries.
Public float in the context of Aeroflot
PJSC Aeroflot – Russian Airlines (Russian: ПАО «Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии», PAO Aeroflot — Rossiyskiye avialinii), commonly known as Aeroflot (English: /ˈɛəroʊˌflɒt/ or /ˌɛəroʊˈflɒt/ ; Russian: Аэрофлот, transl. "air fleet", pronounced [ɐɛrɐˈfɫot]), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo International Airport. The Federal Agency for State Property Management, an agency of the Government of Russia, owns 73.77% of the company, with the rest of the shares being public float.
During the time of the Soviet Union, Aeroflot was one of the largest airlines in the world. In 1992, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Aeroflot was divided into approximately 400 regional airlines informally known as Babyflots and was restructured into an open joint-stock company.