share buyback

Buyback

The act of a publicly-traded company buying its own stock, sometimes at a price well above fair market value. Buyback is not intended to stop trade on its stock. Rather, it is an attempt either to reduce the supply of shares in the market (with the hope of driving up the share price) or to prevent a real or suspected hostile takeover. If a company becomes its own majority or plurality shareholder, it either makes a hostile takeover impossible or more expensive for the acquiring company. A buyback may occur all at once or gradually over time. See also: Antitakeover measure, Self-tender offer.

share buyback

the purchase by a company of its own shares thereby reducing the amount of its ISSUED CAPITAL. Share buybacks are undertaken to return ‘surplus’ cash reserves to shareholders; more particularly they are undertaken to increase EARNINGS PER SHARE and DIVIDEND per share and thus (hopefully) lead to a rise in the company's share price. See SHARE ISSUE.

share buyback

the purchase by a company of its own shares, thereby reducing the amount of its ISSUED CAPITAL. Share buybacks are undertaken to return ‘surplus’ cash reserves to shareholders; more particularly, they are undertaken to increase earnings per SHARE and DIVIDEND per share and thus (hopefully) lead to a rise in the company's share price. See SHARE ISSUE.