arithmetic mean

noun

variants: or less commonly arithmetic average

Definition of arithmetic mean

: a value that is computed by dividing the sum of a set of terms by the number of terms

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More Definitions for arithmetic mean

arithmetic mean

noun

Financial Definition of arithmetic mean

What It Is

The arithmetic mean is the average of a series of numbers.

How It Works

The formula for calculating the arithmetic mean is:

Arithmetic mean = (X1 + X2 + X3 + ... +XN) / N

where X1, X2, X3, XN are the values of the observations being averaged and N equals the number of observations

Let's assume that you would like to find the arithmetic mean of stock prices of Company XYZ over the last four years. Here are the stock prices from each of the last four years:

Year 1: $10

Year 2: $15

Year 3: $20

Year 4: $25

Using the formula above, we can calculate the arithmetic mean price of Company XYZ to be:

($10+$15+$20+$25)/4 = $17.50

The arithmetic mean always lies between the smallest and the largest of the numbers in the set.

Why It Matters

The arithmetic mean allows investors to gain some insight into stock prices, economic data, and a host of other information. For instance, if Company XYZ's stock price is trading above its arithmetic mean, it could be that the stock is overvalued.

It is important to note that arithmetic means are not very useful if the underlying data is erratic. One "outlier" could artificially increase or decrease an arithmetic mean to where it no longer reflects the nature of the bulk of the underlying data. This is one reason some analysts prefer to use weighted averages in certain circumstances.

Source: Investing Answers

arithmetic mean

noun

ar·ith·met·ic mean | \ ˌer-ith-ˈme-tik-\

Kids Definition of arithmetic mean

: a quantity formed by adding quantities together and dividing by their number The arithmetic mean of 6, 4, and 5 is 5.

arithmetic mean

Definition of arithmetic mean

First Known Use of arithmetic mean

Financial Definition of arithmetic mean

Kids Definition of arithmetic mean

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