What is a Share (Stock)?

A share represents the right to own a certain part of a company, meaning that by investing in the company, the shareholder has the right to participate in the shareholders’ meetings and vote, receive dividends, share in the proceeds from the sale of remaining assets after the company is liquidated, and other rights established by law.

Shares are divided into two types: common shares and preferred shares.

Common shareholders usually have voting rights at the shareholders’ meetings and the right to receive dividends. On the other hand, preferred shareholders do not have voting rights but have the priority to receive a fixed amount of dividends before common shareholders.

The company’s Board of Directors decides whether to distribute dividends from the accumulated profits during a given period, and in some cases, they may decide to use the accumulated profits to expand the company’s operations without distributing dividends. However, preferred shareholders receive dividends even if the company operates at a loss. All companies are legally required to issue common shares, while issuing preferred shares is optional.