Share dilution is the shrinking of each shareholder's slice of a company when it issues new shares, and stock-based compensation (SBC), paying employees in shares or options, is the most common cause. SBC is a real cost even though no cash leaves the company: it is paid by existing shareholders through dilution. Snowflake's (SNOW) stock-based compensation was $1.60 billion, or 34% of revenue, in the fiscal year to January 31, 2026, and its share count still grew despite $874 million of buybacks [2]. Apple (AAPL) spent $90.7 billion on buybacks in fiscal 2025 and cut its diluted share count by 5.1% in two years [3]. Tracking net dilution, shares issued minus shares bought back, shows how much of a company each share really owns over time.
What is share dilution?
A company's value is divided among its shares. When it issues more shares without receiving equal value in return, each existing share represents a smaller part of the profits, assets and votes. If a company earning $1 billion has 1 billion shares, each share earns $1.00; with 1.1 billion shares and the same profit, each earns about $0.91.
New shares come from several sources:
- Employee equity: restricted stock units (RSUs) that turn into shares as they vest, and stock options exercised by employees.
- Share sales for cash: secondary offerings and "at-the-market" (ATM) programs, in which a company sells new shares gradually through brokers at market prices.
- Convertible bonds and preferred stock that can be exchanged for common shares.
- Acquisitions paid in stock.
Not all dilution destroys value. Shares sold at a high price to fund a profitable project, or used to buy a business worth more than the shares issued, can raise value per share. Dilution is a cost when the company receives less than the shares are worth, as with employee pay.
What is the difference between basic and diluted shares?
Companies report earnings per share (EPS) two ways. Basic EPS divides profit by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS adds the shares that would exist if options, unvested awards and convertible securities that are "in the money" were turned into stock.
The gap can be large at companies that pay heavily in stock. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) had 2,369.6 million weighted average basic shares in 2025 and 2,565.2 million diluted shares, a difference of 8.3% [1]. Its diluted EPS was $0.63 against basic EPS of $0.69 [4]. When a company makes a loss, diluted shares equal basic shares, because counting extra shares would make the loss per share look smaller; Snowflake reported the same 337.5 million shares for both in fiscal 2026 [2].
Is stock-based compensation a real expense?
Yes. Accounting rules require companies to record SBC as an expense at the fair value of the awards, so it already reduces reported net income. The debate is about adjusted figures. Many companies exclude SBC from "adjusted" earnings and add it back in the cash flow statement, because it does not use cash [1]. That makes cash flow and adjusted profit look larger than the economic cost of running the business.
The cost does not disappear; it moves to shareholders. Employees receive part of the company, and every other holder owns a little less. If the company buys back shares to offset that dilution, the cost becomes a cash cost after all, through the buyback.
| Company (fiscal year) | Revenue | Stock-based compensation | SBC as % of revenue | Buybacks | Change in weighted shares over two years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake (year to Jan 31, 2026) | $4.68B | $1.60B | 34% | $0.87B | +2.9% (328.0M to 337.5M) |
| Palantir (2025) | $4.48B | $0.68B | 15.3% | $0.07B | +11.6% diluted (2,297.9M to 2,565.2M) |
| Apple (year to Sept 27, 2025) | $416.2B | $12.9B | 3.1% | $90.7B | -5.1% diluted (15,812.5M to 15,004.7M) |
Source: company 10-K filings; percentages are DataPorium calculations [1][2][3].
Three patterns in the table
Snowflake: buybacks running to stand still. Snowflake repurchased $874 million of shares in fiscal 2026 and $1.93 billion in fiscal 2025, yet its weighted share count rose from 328.0 million in fiscal 2024 to 337.5 million [2]. Its SBC has been falling as a share of revenue, from 42% in fiscal 2024 to 41% and then 34% [2], and its net loss of $1.33 billion in fiscal 2026 was smaller than its $1.60 billion of stock compensation [2].
Palantir: growth outpacing the cost. Palantir's SBC was roughly flat at $684 million in 2025 against $692 million in 2024, while revenue grew 56% to $4.48 billion, so SBC fell from 24% to 15% of revenue [1]. Its diluted share count still rose 11.6% in two years, because past awards keep vesting and Palantir buys back few shares [1].
Apple: a shrinking share count. Apple's SBC of $12.9 billion was 3.1% of revenue, and its buybacks were about seven times that amount, so its diluted share count fell from 15.81 billion in fiscal 2023 to 15.00 billion in fiscal 2025 [3]. Each Apple share now represents a larger part of the company than two years earlier. How companies choose between buybacks and dividends is covered in DataPorium's buybacks vs dividends analysis [7].
Stock-based compensation does not use cash, but it is paid by shareholders: either through more shares outstanding or through the buybacks needed to offset them.
How do other sources of dilution work?
Secondary offerings and ATM programs
A company that needs capital can sell new shares in a single offering, usually at a discount to the market price, or through an at-the-market program that sells shares in small amounts over months. Both raise the share count. ATM programs are common among companies with ongoing funding needs, such as biotechs and real estate investment trusts. The filing to look for is a prospectus supplement, and the number to watch is the share count in each quarterly report.
Convertible bonds
Convertible bonds pay lower interest than regular bonds because holders can swap them for shares at a set conversion price. If the stock rises above that price, the bonds become shares and existing holders are diluted. Diluted EPS includes these potential shares when conversion would reduce EPS.
How to check a company for dilution
- Compare weighted average shares over three to five years in the income statement; a steady rise is dilution.
- Find SBC in the cash flow statement and divide by revenue. Apple's was 3.1% in fiscal 2025; Palantir's and Snowflake's were in double digits [1][2][3].
- Compare SBC with buybacks. Buybacks smaller than SBC usually mean a rising share count.
- Read the gap between basic and diluted shares for the size of outstanding awards and convertibles.
- Adjust valuation ratios: treat SBC as an expense when using adjusted earnings or free cash flow, and use diluted shares for market value.
DataPorium's stock pages, such as Palantir's, show income statements with basic and diluted share counts and cash flow statements with stock-based compensation by year and quarter [4][5][6].
Frequently asked questions
Is stock-based compensation bad for shareholders?
It is a cost, not necessarily bad: companies use it to hire and keep staff. The question is its size relative to revenue and to buybacks. Apple's SBC was 3.1% of fiscal 2025 revenue; Snowflake's was 34% in fiscal 2026 [2][3].
What is the difference between basic and diluted EPS?
Basic EPS uses shares outstanding; diluted EPS adds shares from options, unvested awards and convertibles. Palantir's 2025 EPS was $0.69 basic and $0.63 diluted [1][4].
Do stock buybacks offset dilution?
Only if they are larger than the new shares issued. Snowflake bought back $874 million of stock in fiscal 2026 while paying $1.60 billion in SBC, and its share count still rose [2].
Why do companies exclude stock-based compensation from adjusted earnings?
Because it does not use cash and its value depends on the share price. Critics note that it is a real cost paid through dilution or through buybacks to offset it [1][2].
Sources & References
- [1] Palantir Technologies Inc., Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025
- [2] Snowflake Inc., Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026
- [3] Apple Inc., Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025
- [4] DataPorium Palantir (PLTR) stock page (financial statements)
- [5] DataPorium Snowflake (SNOW) stock page (financial statements)
- [6] DataPorium Apple (AAPL) stock page (financial statements)
- [7] DataPorium Articles, Buybacks vs Dividends in 2026
