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Stocks are a type of security that represents ownership in a company. They are issued by companies to raise capital and can be traded on stock exchanges.
Companies issue stocks to raise capital for various purposes such as expansion, paying off debts, and financing new projects. This capital can be used to grow the business and increase shareholder value.
Stocks are typically denominated in the company's local currency and can be traded on stock exchanges around the world. For example, Apple stocks are listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the United States.
Investors buy stocks in the hopes of earning a return on their investment, which can come in the form of dividends or capital appreciation.
What Are Stocks?
Stocks are essentially ownership shares in a company, allowing you to buy a tiny piece of that business.
These shares represent a claim on a portion of the company's assets and profits.
Issued vs. Outstanding
Issued vs. Outstanding shares are two fundamental concepts in finance that are often confused with each other. Issued shares are the total shares a company has issued to investors and shareholders.
Issued shares include shares held in the treasury, which a company can use for future sales or to purchase another business. On the other hand, outstanding shares are the shares held by actual investors and shareholders, excluding those held in the treasury.
Outstanding shares are used to calculate financial ratios, such as earnings per share (EPS), and to determine voting power in a company. They are also used to measure a company's financial performance on a per-share basis.
Here's a key difference between issued and outstanding shares:
In summary, issued shares are the total shares a company has issued, including those held in the treasury, while outstanding shares are the shares held by actual investors and shareholders, excluding those held in the treasury.
Recording and Accounting
Treasury stock is recorded as a debit to reduce total shareholders' equity.
The cost method is the most commonly used method by most public entities.
The value paid by the company during the repurchase of the shares is used, ignoring their par value.
The cost of the treasury stock is included within the stockholders' equity portion of the balance sheet under this method.
Shares are repurchased by debiting the treasury stock account to decrease total shareholders' equity.
The cash account is credited to record the expenditure of company cash.
If the treasury stock is resold later, the cash account is increased through a debit while the treasury stock account is decreased.
This increases total shareholders' equity through a credit notation on the balance sheet.
A treasury paid-in capital account is debited or credited depending on whether the stock was resold at a loss or a gain.
Purpose and Example
Companies purchase stock from investors for several reasons, including to resell them and raise capital at a later date, to increase shareholder interest by decreasing the number of outstanding shares, and to retire shares and boost existing shareholders' ownership stake.
Reselling treasury stock allows companies to raise capital and invest for the future. For example, ABC Company repurchased 1,000 shares of its stock at $50, reducing its total shareholders' equity by $50,000.
Here are the reasons why companies buy and hold treasury stock:
- To resell them and raise capital at a later date.
- To increase shareholder interest by decreasing the number of outstanding shares.
- To retire shares and boost existing shareholders' ownership stake.
Purpose of
Companies buy and hold treasury stock for several reasons. One reason is to resell them, allowing corporations to raise capital at a later date and make investments for the future.
By decreasing the number of outstanding shares, companies can increase shareholder interest. This can help keep hostile acquirers away and boost shareholder value.
Existing shareholders see a boost in their ownership stake when treasury shares are retired and taken out of circulation. This can be a strategic move to increase shareholder loyalty and engagement.
Here are the main reasons why companies buy and hold treasury stock:
- To resell them and raise capital for future investments.
- To increase shareholder interest and keep hostile acquirers away.
- To retire shares and boost shareholder ownership stake.
Example of
Treasury stock works by reducing the total shareholders' equity of a company. This can be seen in the example of ABC Company, which repurchased 1,000 shares of its stock at $50, decreasing its total shareholders' equity from $500,000 to $450,000.
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The repurchase of treasury stock can be recorded using the cash method or the par value method. Under the cash method, the treasury account is debited for the full amount of the repurchase, while under the par value method, the treasury stock account is debited for the par value of the shares and the common stock APIC account is debited for the difference between the repurchase price and the par value.
The number of outstanding shares is calculated by subtracting the treasury stock from the issued shares. For example, if a company has 50,000 issued shares and buys back 2,000 shares, the number of outstanding shares would be 48,000.
Companies can buy back shares for various reasons, including to reduce the number of outstanding shares or to return capital to shareholders. For instance, Colgate bought back 23,131,081 shares in 2014, increasing its treasury stock to 558,994,215 shares.
The impact of buying back shares can be seen in the balance sheet of a company. In the case of Colgate, the company's treasury stock balance increased significantly over the years due to its share buyback program.
Return
When a company repurchases its own stock, it records the expenditure in a contra-equity account.
The direct effect of this transaction is a reduction in the total amount of equity recorded on the balance sheet.
The company lists treasury shares as a negative number under shareholders' equity on the balance sheet.
There are two methods of accounting for treasury stock: the cost method and the par value method.
Under the cost method, the paid-in capital account is reduced when treasury shares are purchased.
In the par value method, the company records the repurchase as the retirement of shares, debiting common stock and crediting treasury stock.
Key Differences and Infographics
Issued shares are the total shares a company issues, while outstanding shares are the shares held by shareholders, excluding those repurchased by the company.
Outstanding shares are calculated by subtracting treasury stock from issued shares. This means that outstanding shares are always less than or equal to issued shares, unless a company has no treasury stock.
Here are the key differences summarized in a table:
Infographics
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Infographics can be a great way to visualize complex information, like the differences between Issued vs. Outstanding Shares. This infographic provides a clear breakdown of the key differences between these two concepts.
Issued shares are the total number of shares a company has authorized, whereas outstanding shares are the actual shares that have been issued to investors. This infographic highlights the importance of understanding these differences in corporate finance.
The infographic explains that issued shares include treasury shares, which are shares held by the company itself.
Difference Between
The key differences between issued and outstanding shares are quite interesting. Issued shares are the total shares issued by the company, while outstanding shares are the shares with shareholders, excluding those repurchased by the company.
Issued shares include shares held in treasury, which can be used for future sales or to purchase another business. Outstanding shares, on the other hand, do not include treasury stock.
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Financial statements don't report issued shares, but they do report outstanding shares. This is because outstanding shares are used to determine voting power in the company for each shareholder and the total number of voting shares.
A key difference between treasury stock and outstanding shares is that treasury stock has no voting rights, whereas outstanding shares have voting rights.
Here's a summary of the key differences:
- Issued shares include treasury stock, while outstanding shares do not.
- Financial statements report outstanding shares, but not issued shares.
- Outstanding shares have voting rights, while treasury stock does not.
- Outstanding shares are used to calculate financial ratios, such as EPS.
- Outstanding shares are less than or equal to issued shares, except in cases where there is no treasury stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can shares be issued but not outstanding?
Yes, shares can be issued but not outstanding, such as when a company buys back its own shares, making them issued shares but no longer part of the outstanding count. This distinction is important when analyzing a company's financial statements.
What are outstanding stocks?
Outstanding stocks refer to the total number of shares a company has issued, including those that can be publicly traded and restricted shares that require special permission. This number represents the maximum amount of shares available for buying and selling
Sources
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/treasurystock.asp
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/outstanding-shares/
- https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/issued-vs-outstanding-shares/
- https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/treasury-stock-shares/
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/treasury-stock/
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