Liquidation

Liquidation

Occurs when a firm's business is terminated. Assets are sold, proceeds are used to pay creditors, and any leftovers are distributed to shareholders. Any transaction that offsets or closes out a long or short position. Related: Buy in, evening up, offset liquidity.

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Liquidation

The conversion to cash. Liquidating a position may simply mean selling stock or bonds; the seller in this case receives the cash. Liquidation also refers to a situation in which a company ceases operations and sells as many assets as it can; the company uses the cash to repay debt and, if possible, shareholders. Liquidation often has a negative connotation for this reason. See also: Panic selling.

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liquidation

1. The conversion of assets into cash. Just as a company may liquidate an entire subsidiary by selling it to another firm, so too may an investor liquidate by selling a particular type of security.

2. The paying of a debt.

3. The selling of assets and the paying of liabilities in anticipation of going out of business.

Case Study If eliminating dividends, laying off employees, selling subsidiaries, restructuring debt, and, finally, reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy fail to resuscitate a business, the likely outcome is liquidation. Early 2001 witnessed the end of the line for Tennessee-based retailer Service Merchandise, a 42-year-old chain of catalog showrooms that proved unable to compete with large discounters such as Wal-Mart. Following a three-year attempt at reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the firm announced it would close all 216 stores and liquidate its inventories and real estate. It was expected the asset liquidation would result in creditors being paid only a portion of their claims while stockholders of the company would receive nothing. The firm's stock was trading over the counter for 2¢ per share at the time of the announcement.

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Liquidation

The process of converting securities or other property into cash.