What Is the Main Difference Between Stocks, Shares, and Equity?

Are stocks, shares, and equity the same? No, they are not. Let we explain the differences clearly in this article.

Quick Insights

What are stocks?

Companies issue shares of stock to raise money. When you buy stock, you own a piece of the company. You get voting rights, dividend payments, and the chance for your shares to increase in value.

But owning stock doesn’t mean you control the company. If you don’t like how things are going, you can sell your shares and invest elsewhere.

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Types of stocks

• Common Stock: Common stock signifies ownership in a company, granting shareholders voting rights and a share in profits through dividends.
• Preferred Stock: Preferred stock is a type of stock that offers fixed dividends and priority in asset distribution during liquidation, yet lacks voting privileges.
• Growth Stocks: Expected to grow faster than the market, often associated with industries like technology during economic expansions.
• Value Stocks: Trade at a discount compared to their intrinsic value, typically found in sectors like finance and healthcare, favoured during economic recoveries.
• Income Stocks: Stocks that provide regular income through higher-than-average dividends are often seen in stable sectors like utilities.
• Blue-Chip Stocks: Shares of well-established companies with a history of stable earnings and leadership within their industry.
• Cyclical Stocks: Tied to economic performance, tend to perform well during economic upswings, such as technology and retail.
• Non-Cyclical Stocks: Perform consistently regardless of economic conditions, like consumer staples and healthcare.
• Defensive Stocks: Stocks that offer steady returns in various economic conditions are typically found in industries like consumer staples and utilities.
• IPO Stocks: Stocks issued through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) when a company goes public are often subject to high demand and volatility.
• Penny Stocks: Highly speculative stocks valued at less than $5 are often traded over-the-counter (OTC) and considered risky investments.
• ESG Stocks: Stocks that prioritize environmental, social, and corporate governance factors, attract socially conscious investors.
• Large-cap, Mid-cap, and Small-cap Stocks: Companies divided based on market capitalization, with large-cap exceeding $10 billion, mid-cap between $2 billion and $10 billion, and small-cap between $300 million and $2 billion.

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What are shares?

Shares represent units of ownership in a company. When a company decides to divide its ownership into smaller portions to raise capital, it issues shares. These shares are then sold to investors.

Each share typically represents a portion of ownership in the company. For example, if a company issues 100 shares and you buy 10 of them, you own 10% of the company.

Investors can acquire shares by buying shares and liquidate their ownership by selling shares in the stock market.

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What is equity?

Equity is the money that belongs to the owner of a company. You can figure out how much equity a company has by looking at its financial statement. Just subtract what the company owes (liabilities) from what it owns (assets).

People use the share price or a value set by experts to know how much the company’s equity is worth. It’s also called owners’ equity, stockholders’ equity, or shareholders’ equity.

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What is the difference between stocks and shares?

Here is a comparison of what is a stock vs share:

Aspect	Stocks	Shares
Definition	Ownership in one or more companies.	Individual units of ownership in a specific company.
Term usage	Used more generally, talking about ownership in companies overall.	Used when you’re talking about ownership in a particular company.
Types of ownership	Common stockholders have voting rights.	Preferred shareholders usually lack voting rights.
Voting rights	Can vary; usually, if you have stocks, you might have a say in company decisions.	Commonly come with voting rights, meaning you could vote on company matters.
Dividends	Depending on how well the company stock does, you might get some money back (dividends). This is more common with common shareholders.	If you own shares, especially common ones, you might get dividends if the company does well. Preferred stock dividends are usually fixed.
Risk	If you have stocks in different companies, your risk is spread out.	Your risk is more tied to how well that specific company does.

What is the difference between stock and equity?

What are equities vs stocks? Here are:

Aspect	Equity	Stocks
Meaning	Total ownership stake in a company (including assets & liabilities)	Ownership shares of a company traded on stock exchanges
Calculation	Total Assets – Liabilities (book value)	Market-determined by supply & demand
Trading	Not traded on stock exchanges	Traded on stock exchanges
Public Participation	Does not involve general public (can be private)	Involves general public participation
Price Fluctuations	Prices do not fluctuate publicly	Prices fluctuate daily based on market forces
Disclosure in Balance Sheet	Value of equity is disclosed in the balance sheet	Value of stocks is not typically disclosed
Consideration in Acquisition/Merger	Value of equity is not considered	Value of stocks is considered
Listing Requirement	Not required to be listed on stock exchanges	Must be listed on at least one stock exchange to be considered stocks
Ownership Representation	Represents the net worth of the entity	Represents ownership in the company

Share vs equity

Aspect	Equity	Shares
Ease of Trade	Varies – Depends on the type of equity. Publicly traded equity (like stocks) is easy to buy/sell. Private equity can be harder.	Easy to buy/sell – Shares of public companies are readily available through brokers.
Where Found	All kinds of businesses (public & private)	Publicly traded companies listed on stock exchanges.
Dividend	Sometimes get a share of profits	Always get a share of profits.
What’s Included	Represents ownership stake in a company (including assets & liabilities).	Only certain types of ownership in a company.
Risk	Risky because you’re part of the business.	Less risky because you just own a piece of it.
Term Scope	Broad term – Encompasses various ownership interests (shares, options, etc.)	Specific term – Refers to individual units of ownership in a company.
Example	Invest big and own a whole business	Buy specific number of shares in a company
Investment Goal	Invest to make money over a long time.	Make money from short-term price changes.
Relationship	Not all types of equity are shares.	All shares are a type of equity.

Stock vs share vs equity

Aspect	Stock	Shares	Equity
Definition	The terms Stocks represent ownership in one or more companies.	Shares are units of ownership in a single company.	Equity refers to the total ownership stake in a company, encompassing both assets and liabilities.
Examples	Owning stock in Amazon and Microsoft.	Owning shares of Amazon or Microsoft.	Holding a percentage of ownership in Amazon or Microsoft.
Ownership	Stock represents partial ownership in one or more companies.	Ownership in a particular company.	Complete ownership in a specific company.
Voting Rights	Voting rights vary depending on the type of stock (common stock typically has voting rights, while preferred stock often doesn’t).	Voting rights typically come with shares, though some exceptions may exist depending on the company’s structure.	Typically includes voting rights in decision-making.
Market Value	Stock prices fluctuate based on supply and demand in the market.	Share prices fluctuate similarly to stocks, but the specific company’s performance can also impact the price.	The total equity value reflects the company’s net worth, which indirectly influences the market value of its stocks.

Conclusion

Stocks, shares, and equity are related but have unique meanings. Stocks mean owning parts of companies, shares are ownership units in one company, and equity is the total ownership stake in a company, including assets and debts. While shares are a kind of equity, not all equity is in shares.

Stocks and shares can differ in voting rights and dividends, while equity shows a company’s ownership and financial status. Knowing these distinctions helps investors understand financial markets better and make smart decisions in investing.