A certificate giving the person or company listed a portion of ownership in a stock, mutual fund, or some other investment vehicle. A share is the smallest unit of ownership. They may be bought or sold on or off an exchange.

1. A single unit of a class of ownership in a corporation, represented by a stock certificate.

2. A single unit of ownership in a mutual fund.

3. The portion of a market controlled by a particular firm.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.

Share.

A share is a unit of ownership in a corporation or mutual fund, or an interest in a general or limited partnership. Though the word is sometimes used interchangeably with the word stock, you actually own shares of stock.

a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY as a means of raising long-term capital. Purchasers of shares pay money into the company's bank account and in return receive a SHARE CERTIFICATE signifying their ownership of the shares and have their ownership recorded in the company's SHARE REGISTER. The SHAREHOLDERS of a company are its legal owners and are entitled to a share in its profits. Shares are traded on the STOCK MARKET. There are two broad kinds of shares: PREFERENCE SHARES and ORDINARY SHARES. See also SHARE CAPITAL, SHARE ISSUE, CAPITAL GEARING.

a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY as a means of raising long-term capital. Purchasers of shares pay money to the company and in return receive a SHARE CERTIFICATE signifying their ownership of the shares and have their ownership recorded in the company's SHARE REGISTER. The SHAREHOLDERS of a company are its legal owners and are entitled to a share in its profits, receiving some of these profits in the form of DIVIDENDS. Shares are traded on the STOCK EXCHANGE. There are two broad kinds of shares: PREFERENCE SHARES and ORDINARY SHARES. See SHARE CAPITAL, SHARE ISSUE, CAPITAL GEARING.

Collins Dictionary of Economics, 4th ed. © C. Pass, B. Lowes, L. Davies 2005

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References in periodicals archive

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Since each option is worth less than a restricted share, more options can be granted in order to offer equivalent initial value.

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These requirements allow the Board to conduct an investigation of the competence, experience, integrity, and financial ability of each controlling person by and for whom shares of a state member bank are acquired.

Final enforcement decisions issued by the Board of Governors

For example, an option to purchase a share of stock with a market price of $50 on the grant date and an exercise price of $40 would have an intrinsic value of $10.

No longer an "option": FASB mandates how companies should account for share-based compensation