Topic 7 Flashcards
What are equities
Equities also known as ordinary shares there are the most important type of security that are issued by uk companies they can be and are bought by private investors but most transactions in equities are made by institutions and by life and pension funds
What 2 main rights Do holders of ordinary shares (shareholders) have
Receive a share of the distributed profits of the company as income in the form of dividends
Participate in decisions about how the company is run by voting at shareholders meetings
What does the term securities mean
Financial assets that can be traded they can be divided into 2 broad classes those that represent ownership equities, and those that represent debt such as guilts and corporate bonds
What 4 factors Effect share prices
Company profitability
Strength of the market sector
Strength of the global and uk economy
Supply and demand for shares and other investments
How are shares bought and sold
On the London stock exchange
What 2 markets are available to buy and sell shares on
The main market
Alternative investment market
What must companies conform to to be listed on the main market
A considerable amount of accurate financial and other information must be disclosed
The applicant company must have been trading for at least 3 years
At least 25% of its issued share capital must be in the hands of the public
Define the primary market and the secondary market
The primary market is where companies and financial organisations can runatural organisations can raise finance by selling securities to investors they will either be coming to the market for the 1st time through the process of going public or flotation or flotation or issue in more shares to the market
The secondary market is where investors buy and sell existing securities it is much bigger than the primary market in terms of the number of securities traded each day
What is the purpose of the alternative investment market
To enable suitable companies to raise capital by issuing shares and it allows those shares to be traded in addition to the benefit of access to public finance companies will enjoy the wider public audience and enhance their profiles by joining the alternative investment market
Rules for joining the alternative investment market are fewer and less rigorous than those for joining the official list the main market and were designed with smaller companies in mind
What 2 financial returns do shareholders hope to receive from their shares
The growth in the share price
The dividends are received as a share of the company’s distributable profits
What is earnings per share
This is equal to the company’s post tax net profit divided by the number of shares
(This is not normally the amount of dividends paid as a company may hold profit back)
What is dividend cover
This factor indicates how much of a company’s profits are paid out as dividends in a particular distribution
If for example 50% of the profits are paid in dividends the dividend is set to be covered twice cover of 2.0 or more is generally considerably considered to be acceptable by investors
What is the price/earnings ratio
The price/earnings ratio is calculated as the share price divided by the earnings per share
Why should a price/earnings ratio only be compared to another price/earnings ratio in the same market sector?
Price/earnings ratios vary between market sectors
What tax is applicable to gains realised on the sale of shares
Capital gains tax