[header] How to calculate shareholders' equity [title] Determine if you can use this method. [step] In order to use this method, you'll need to know the target company's total assets and total liabilities. If this is a private company, this may be hard to obtain without the direct involvement of management. 
However, if it is a publicly-traded company, the company is required to report this information in financial reports on their balance sheets. [substeps] To find this information for a publicly-held company, try searching for the company's most recent financial report online.