Investor Glossary - Public CompanyInsightful stock market charts - Click here

 # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z     

Public Company


A public company is a company that has issued securities that are now traded on the open market. A common misperception is that an investor can become a shareholder by buying stock in any public company. In fact, a public company may be closely held, with only publicly traded debt. Nevertheless, the most common way to form a public company is for a successful private company to raise capital in an initial public offering. If a public company issues stock, the company may be listed on a stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange, or the shares may be traded over the counter. In the US, every public company must file quarterly and annual reports with the SEC. The investor can also own a public company stock indirectly by investing in a mutual fund.


               


Is the stock market headed lower? The answer may surprise you.
Find out now with the exclusive & highly regarded charts of Chart of the Day.


 Popular Terms : deferred revenue, forward PE, 401a, minority interest, deferred tax, retained earnings, average price per share, trailing PE, 144a, real GDP, FICO score, diluted share, wholly-owned subsidiary, net book value, cancelled check, debt service coverage, 1031 exchange, LIBOR, liquidity ratio, arm's length transaction, option premium, commodity, EBITDA, inflation, reverse mortgage, per diem, balance sheet, 1035 exchange, phantom income, Zero Cost Collar, assets under management, margin rate, covered put, required rate of return, Key Rate Duration, current ratio, APR, class C shares, quant, Russell 3000, stock, asset/equity ratio, CUSIP, Black Friday, annualize




 Rate the public company definition... Receive our free Term of the Day email.
 Your Rating:
 Poor 1 2 3 4 5  Excellent
Simply type in your email address and click submit:
 Comment:   
 


Subscribe   Unsubscribe
Home | Term of the Day | Tell a Friend | Suggest a Term | Edit Subscriber Detail
Accounting | Banking | Bonds | Brokers | Economy | Futures | Mutual Funds | Options | Real Estate | Retirement | Stocks | Taxes | Technical Analysis
©2004-2008 Investor Glossary - All rights reserved