preference share

Preference share

Preferred shares of a corporation that have first claim to preferred dividends.

Copyright © 2012, Campbell R. Harvey. All Rights Reserved.

Preferred Stock

Stock in a publicly-traded company without voting rights, but otherwise with more rights than common shares. Preferred stocks receive dividends before common shares and sometimes have guaranteed dividends, while common shares only receive the leftovers. Preferred stocks also have a prior claim on capital in the event of liquidation; if the company is liquidated, all preferred shareholders must be paid off before a single common shareholder. Some preferred stocks are convertible, which means they can be changed into common shares at a certain ratio so that even preferred shareholders without voting rights have the possibility of gaining them. Preferred stocks tend not to appreciate as fast as common stocks.

Farlex Financial Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All Rights Reserved

preference share

or

preferred stock

a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued to those individuals and institutions who provide long-term finance for JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. Preference shares pay a fixed rate of DIVIDEND and are generally given priority over ORDINARY SHARES in receiving dividend. In the event of the company being wound up they also have first claim on any remaining ASSETS of the business after all debts have been discharged. Cumulative preference shares are entitled to be paid any arrears of their dividend before ordinary shares receive any dividends.

Certain preference shares, called Participating Preference Shares, entitle holders not only to a fixed dividend rate but also to anadditional distribution of profit in good trading years. Generally, preference SHAREHOLDERS have no voting fights at company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS, though under the terms of a firm's ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION they may be granted voting rights where their dividends are in arrears. See SHARE CAPITAL.

Collins Dictionary of Business, 3rd ed. © 2002, 2005 C Pass, B Lowes, A Pendleton, L Chadwick, D O’Reilly and M Afferson

preference share

or

preferred stock

a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued to those individuals and institutions that provide long-term finance for JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. Preference shares pay a fixed rate of DIVIDEND and are generally given priority over ORDINARY SHARES in receiving dividend. In the event of the company being wound up (see INSOLVENCY), they also have first claim on any remaining ASSETS of the business after all debts have been discharged. Generally, preference SHAREHOLDERS have no voting rights at company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS. See also SHARE CAPITAL.

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