Net asset value (NAV) is a term used to describe the value of an entity’s assets less the value of its liabilities. The term is most commonly used in relation to open-ended or mutual funds due to the fact that shares of such funds are redeemed at their net asset value. However, the term may also be used as a synonym for book value or the equity value of a business. Net asset value may represent the value of the total equity, or it may be divided by the number of shares outstanding and, thereby, represent the per share net asset value. The Term Net Asset Value (NAV) is used by investment companies to measure net assets. It is calculated by subtracting liabilities from the value of a fund’s securities and other items of value and dividing this by the number of outstanding shares. Net asset value is popularly used in newspaper mutual fund tables to designate the price per share for the fund.
There is no universal method of valuing assets and liabilities for the purposes of calculating net asset value, and the criteria used for the valuation will depend upon the circumstances, the purposes of the valuation and any regulations that may apply.
Net asset value is most commonly used in the context of open-ended funds. Shares and interests in such funds are not traded between investors, but are issued by the fund to each new investor and redeemed back to the fund when an investor withdraws. A fund will issue and redeem shares and interests at a price calculated by reference to the NAV of the fund, with the intention that new investors receive a fair proportion of the fund and redeeming investors receive a fair proportion of the fund’s value in cash.
The NAV of a collective investment scheme (such as a US mutual funds or a hedge fund) is calculated by reference to the total value of the fund’s portfolio (its assets) less money owed to lending banks, fees owed to investment managers and service providers and other liabilities.
Value or purchase price of a share of stock in a mutual fund. NAV is calculated each day by taking the closing market value of all securities owned plus all other assets such as cash, subtracting all liabilities, then dividing the result (total net assets) by the total number of shares outstanding.
Calculating NAVs – Calculating mutual fund net asset values is easy. Simply take the current market value of the fund’s net assets (securities held by the fund minus any liabilities) and divide by the number of shares outstanding. So if a fund had net assets of Rs.50 lakh and there are one lakh shares of the fund, then the price per share (or NAV) is Rs.50.00.