A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder ) of corporate stock refers to an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation , a body politic , a trust or partnership ) that is registered by the corporation as the legal owner of shares of the share capital of a public or private corporation . Shareholders may be referred to as members of a corporation. A person or legal entity becomes a shareholder in a corporation when their name and other details are entered in the corporation's register of shareholders or members, and unless required by law the corporation is not required or permitted to enquire as to the beneficial ownership of the shares. A corporation generally cannot own shares of itself.
18-430: A firm is a commercial partnership of two or more people. Firm or The Firm may also refer to: Firm A company , abbreviated as co. , is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural , juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared goals. Over time, companies have evolved to have
36-537: A common seal . Except for some senior positions, companies remain unaffected by the death, insanity, or insolvency of an individual member. The English word, " company ", has its origins in the Old French term compagnie (first recorded in 1150), meaning "society, friendship, intimacy; body of soldiers", which came from the Late Latin word companio ("one who eats bread with you"), first attested in
54-575: A partnership is not legally a company, but may sometimes be referred to (informally) as a "company". It may be referred to as a "firm" . In the United States , a company is not necessarily a corporation. For example, a company may be a " corporation , partnership , association, joint-stock company , trust , fund , or organized group of persons , whether incorporated or not, and (in an official capacity) any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or similar official, or liquidating agent , for any of
72-465: A shareholding, the first one on the record is taken to control the shareholding, and all correspondence and communication by the company will be with that person. Shareholders may have acquired their shares in the primary market by subscribing to the IPOs and thus provided capital to the corporation. However, most shareholders acquire shares in the secondary market and provided no capital directly to
90-640: The Company Law of the People's Republic of China , companies include the limited liability company and joint-stock limited company which founded in the mainland China. In English law and in legal jurisdictions based upon it, a company is a body corporate or corporation company registered under the Companies Acts or under similar legislation. Common forms include: In the United Kingdom,
108-531: The Salic law ( c. AD 500) as a calque of the Germanic expression gahlaibo (literally, "with bread"), related to Old High German galeipo ("companion") and to Gothic gahlaiba ("messmate"). By 1303, the word company referred to trade guilds . The usage of the term company to mean "business association" was first recorded in 1553, and the abbreviation "co." dates from 1769. According to
126-407: The community , etc., are typically considered stakeholders because they contribute value or are impacted by the corporation . A beneficial shareholder is the person or legal entity that has the economic benefit of ownership of the shares, while a nominee shareholder is the person or entity that is on the corporation's register of members as the owner while being in reality that person acts for
144-407: The shareholders . In a company limited by guarantee , this will be the guarantors. Some offshore jurisdictions have created special forms of offshore company in a bid to attract business for their jurisdictions. Examples include segregated portfolio companies and restricted purpose companies. However, there are many sub-categories of company types that can be formed in various jurisdictions in
162-493: The benefit or at the direction of the beneficial owner, whether disclosed or not. Primarily, there are two types of shareholders. An individual or legal entity that owns ordinary shares of a company (in the United States commonly referred as common stock) is usually referred to as an ordinary shareholder. This type of shareholding is the most common. Ordinary shareholders have the right to influence decisions concerning
180-456: The company by participating at general meetings of the company and in the election of directors and can file class action lawsuits, when warranted. Preference shareholders are owners of preference shares (in the United States commonly referred as preferred stock). They are paid a fixed rate of dividend, which is paid in priority to the dividend to be paid to the ordinary shareholders. Preference shareholders usually do not have voting rights in
198-411: The corporation itself. They are generally not liable for the corporation's debts, and the shareholders' liability for company debts is said to be limited to the unpaid share price unless a shareholder has offered guarantees. The corporation is not required to record the beneficial ownership of a shareholding, only the owner as recorded on the register. When more than one person is on the record as owners of
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#1732780855431216-415: The corporation. Shareholders may be granted special privileges depending on a share class . The board of directors of a corporation generally governs a corporation for the benefit of shareholders. Shareholders are considered by some to be a subset of stakeholders , which may include anyone who has a direct or indirect interest in the business entity . For example, employees , suppliers , customers ,
234-446: The following features: "separate legal personality, limited liability, transferable shares, investor ownership, and a managerial hierarchy". The company, as an entity, was created by the state which granted the privilege of incorporation. Companies take various forms, such as: A company can be created as a legal person so that the company itself has limited liability as members perform or fail to discharge their duties according to
252-412: The foregoing". Less common types of companies are: When "Ltd" is placed after the company's name, it signifies a limited company, and "PLC" ( public limited company ) indicates that its shares are widely held. In the legal context, the owners of a company are normally referred to as the "members". In a company limited or unlimited by shares (formed or incorporated with a share capital), this will be
270-470: The publicly declared incorporation published policy. When a company closes, it may need to be liquidated to avoid further legal obligations. Companies may associate and collectively register themselves as new companies; the resulting entities are often known as corporate groups . A company can be defined as an "artificial person", invisible, intangible, created by or under law, with a discrete legal capacity (or "personality"), perpetual succession , and
288-423: The reputation of the exchange or particular market of an exchange. Private companies do not have publicly traded shares, and often contain restrictions on transfers of shares. In some jurisdictions, private companies have maximum numbers of shareholders. A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors;
306-406: The second company being deemed a subsidiary of the parent company. The definition of a parent company differs by jurisdiction, with the definition normally being defined by way of laws dealing with companies in that jurisdiction. Shareholder The influence of shareholders on the business is determined by the shareholding percentage owned. Shareholders of corporations are legally separate from
324-406: The world. Companies are also sometimes distinguished for legal and regulatory purposes between public companies and private companies . Public companies are companies whose shares can be publicly traded, often (although not always) on a stock exchange which imposes listing requirements / Listing Rules as to the issued shares, the trading of shares and future issue of shares to help bolster
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