Common Stock And Preferred Stock

capital gains for cash received, on the other hand, they can enjoy the profit when share

The return on a stock investment comes from dividends and price appreciation. Although neither is guaranteed, both have the potential for growth in the future. This is in distinct contrast to investments in debt vehicles that guarantee future payments but offer little or no possibility of a return that 's higher than promised.

LIABILITY- The same as a C-corporation, shareholders of S-corporation have limited liability. In the case of bankruptcy they only lose their shares of the corporation.

investors. The investors now share in the profit of the company and can exhange or buy more stocks in the

B. Convertible preferred stock, includes an option for the holder to convert preferred shares into a certain number of common shares. Unlike convertible bonds, convertible preferred stock is considered equity (unless there is a mandatory redemption feature).

Investment in shares of corporate stock is also very popular that can produce a great amount of profit. By investing in shares of a firm listed on a stock exchange, the investor owns part of the company and also gets the right to share in the future income of the company. Returns on stock come in two ways; first, dividends are paid out of the profit accumulated by the company over a year. Secondly, the investor can sell his or her shares of stock for more than originally paid. Gains may reflect that the company over time has grown or improved or that the investment society sees future prospects. But then capital losses can also occur. The price of shares listed for a company can vary from day to day. On a given day some shares may go up in value and some may go down in vale, depending on how investors view the prospects of each company. Also rises and falls in economic confidence or changes in a particular industry may cause the value of stocks to rise or either fall. There are ranges of factors, which influence stock prices on a daily basis stocks cannot be accurately predicted. Shares of stocks are riskier than

The purpose of businesses is to maximize the market value of existing shareholders’ common stock.

Preferred stock has a preferred position in the claim on the income flow of the firms. Preferred stock dividends, usually a fixed rate relative to par value, are paid ahead of common stock dividends. The dividends of preferred stocks are different from and generally greater than those of common stock. Corporate bonds are debt instruments created by companies for the purpose of raising capital. They are called fixed-income securities because they pay a specified amount of interest on a regular basis. Preferred and Common stocks have three major risk factors: 1) dividend suspension or company failure, 2) rising interest rates, 3) low trading volumes. Most corporate bonds are debentures, meaning they are not secured by collateral. Investors of such bonds must assume not only interest rate risk but also credit risk; they chance that the corporate issuer will default on its debt

Being a stockholder can have great rewards like a viable source of income, or an eggs nest for retirement, however it does have its downsides as well. Owning stock in a corporation bears the risk of losing all one’s investment if the company goes bankrupt. Aside from financial benefits, owning stock allows stockholders to have a voice (however small it may be) in the company’s direction.

* A broader capital base gives the company more access to credit which gives the company an option to venture into new business opportunities

Generally, firms can choose among various capital structures in order to maximize overall market value of the company. It is proposed however, that

A. Easier access to financial markets to raise capital through sale of stocks and bonds.

Stocks (or shares), by definition, are shares of ownership in a company. By purchasing stocks in a company, the investor becomes a part owner, and thereby owns a percentage share of the company’s after tax profits. Stocks/shares have two key characteristics: 1) they can be issued in small denominations: an investor can purchase as many or as few shares in a company as he/ she wants, thereby becoming a

Gittman (2004, pp. 312) divided stock into two types, such as common stock and preferred stock. He also showed that dividends are the outcome of investment. So, common stocks are an ownership claim against primarily real or productive asset (Higgins, 1995), but he also said that if the company prospers, stockholders are the chief beneficiaries, if it falters, they are the chief losers. Smith (1988) presented that stocks are one of the most popular forms of investment. People buy stocks for various reasons: some are interested in the long-term growth of their investment by buying low priced stock of a new company in the hope of substantially growth of share price over the next few years. Another reason he suggested that in a well established firm stockholders expect the stock growth will be stable over the long run. (Smith,1988).

Also, the stock market tends to react negatively to announcements of new common stock offerings, whereas debt security announcement tend to have little impact on stock prices. As a additional external financing is needed, the firm will work down the pecking order – from safe to more risky debt, then possibly to convertible debt, and finally to common equity as a last resort.