
When a corporation wishes to buy back stock from a shareholder, the company can use a stock repurchase agreement to complete the transaction. A stock repurchase agreement is a legal contract that protects both parties during the transaction. Stock repurchase agreements will usually include the following information:
Full Answer
Why do companies repurchase shares?
When a company earns a profit, those profits can be directed in this way:
- Returned to its owners (shareholders) Through Dividends And/or share repurchases
- Reinvested back into the company Through capital investments or increased hiring To buy another company through an acquisition
- Improve the balance sheet Pay down debt Keep as cash And/or buy investments (stocks, bonds, etc)
What is share repurchase and methods of share repurchase?
Share Repurchase Methods
- Open market transactions. The most straightforward and flexible way to buy shares is simply buying them in the market at the best possible price.
- Fixed price tender offer. A fixed price tender offer share buckback is an approach where the firm buys a predetermined number of shares at a fixed price.
- Dutch auction share buyback approach. ...
What is a repurchase agreement example?
Types of Repurchase Agreement
- #1 – Tri-Party Repo. This type of repurchase agreement is the most common agreement in the market. ...
- #2 – Equity Repo. As the name suggests, equity is the collateral in this type of repurchase agreements. ...
- #3 – Whole Loan Repo. ...
- #5 – Reverse Repo. ...
- #6 – Securities Lending. ...
- #7 – Due Bill. ...
What does repurchase agreement mean?
Repurchase agreement A repurchase agreement, also known as a repo, RP, or sale and repurchase agreement, is the sale of securities together with an agreement for the seller to buy back the securities at a later date.

How are repurchase agreements accounted for?
1 Accounting for repurchase agreements. The accounting for repos depends on whether (1) it is a repurchase-to-maturity transaction and (2) the transfer of the underlying financial asset qualifies for sale accounting under ASC 860-10-40-5.
How do you record the buy back of stock?
The company can make the journal entry for repurchase of common stock by debiting the treasury stock account and crediting the cash account. Treasury stock is a contra account to the capital account (e.g. common stock) in the equity section of the balance sheet.
What happens when a stock is repurchased?
A stock buyback typically means that the price of the remaining outstanding shares increases. This is simple supply-and-demand economics: there are fewer outstanding shares, but the value of the company has not changed, therefore each share is worth more, so the price goes up.
Where Are stock repurchases reported?
Under current U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), stock repurchases by a company are reported as “treasury stock” on the equity section of the balance sheet. Buybacks are reported at historic cost, without any subsequent evaluation to record whether the stock was purchased at a reasonable price.
What is the journal entry for purchase of shares?
The company can make the journal entry for purchase of stock investment by debiting the stock investments account and crediting the cash account. Stock investments account is an asset account on the balance sheet, in which its normal balance is on the debit side.
What is the journal entry for recording the purchase of treasury stock?
The company can record the purchase of treasury stock with the journal entry of debiting the treasury stock account and crediting the cash account. In this journal entry, the par value or stated value of the stock, as well as the original issued price, is not included with recording the purchase of the treasury stock.
Are share repurchases good?
Share buybacks can create value for investors in a few ways: Repurchases return cash to shareholders who want to exit the investment. With a buyback, the company can increase earnings per share, all else equal. The same earnings pie cut into fewer slices is worth a greater share of the earnings.
Why do companies do stock repurchases?
The main reason companies buy back their own stock is to create value for their shareholders. In this case, value means a rising share price. Here's how it works: Whenever there's demand for a company's shares, the price of the stock rises.
Do I have to sell my shares in a buyback?
Companies cannot force shareholders to sell their shares in a buyback, but they usually offer a premium price to make it attractive.
How are share buybacks accounted for?
Companies generally specify the amount spent on share repurchases in their quarterly earnings reports. You also may get the amount spent on share buybacks from the statement of cash flows in the financing activities section, and from the statement of changes in equity or statement of retained earnings.
How do share repurchases affect capital structure?
A share repurchase changes the capital structure of the firm, and this adjustment can enhance a firm's value, especially if it is both underleveraged and undervalued. Stock investors particularly value the repurchase plans of firms that are undervalued.
How are share repurchases taxed?
While dividends go to all shareholders, who are taxable on their full amount, share repurchases distribute earnings only to investors who sell their shares, who then pay capital gains tax on any profits from the sale.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Stockholder represents and warrants to the Corporation as follows:
MISCELLANEOUS
Any notice or communication required or permitted under this Agreement shall be sufficiently given if delivered in person or by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the addresses listed above, or to such other address as one party may have furnished to the other in writing.
How to determine the cost of a repurchase agreement?
In order to determine the true costs and benefits of a repurchase agreement, a buyer or seller interested in participating in the transaction must consider three different calculations: 1) Cash paid in the initial security sale . 2) Cash to be paid in the repurchase of the security. 3) Implied interest rate. The cash paid in the initial security ...
What is the difference between a buyer and a seller in a repurchase agreement?
The buyer acts as a short-term lender, while the seller acts as a short-term borrower. 1 The securities being sold are the collateral. Thus the goals of both parties, secured funding and liquidity, are met. Repurchase agreements can take place between a variety of parties.
What are the risks of a repo?
Risks of Repo. Repurchase agreements are generally seen as credit-risk mitigated instruments. The largest risk in a repo is that the seller may fail to hold up its end of the agreement by not repurchasing the securities which it sold at the maturity date.
What is a repos?
Repos that have a specified maturity date (usually the following day or week) are term repurchase agreements. A dealer sells securities to a counterparty with the agreement that he will buy them back at a higher price on a specific date.
Why are repurchase agreements considered safe?
Repurchase agreements are generally considered safe investments because the security in question functions as collateral, which is why most agreements involve U.S. Treasury bonds. Classified as a money-market instrument, a repurchase agreement functions in effect as a short-term, collateral-backed, interest-bearing loan. The buyer acts as a short-term lender, while the seller acts as a short-term borrower. 1 The securities being sold are the collateral. Thus the goals of both parties, secured funding and liquidity, are met.
What is the future of repo space?
The future of the repo space may involve continued regulations to limit the actions of these transactors, or it may even eventually involve a shift toward a central clearinghouse system. For the time being, though, repurchase agreements remain an important means of facilitating short-term borrowing. 16 .
How does the repo rate system work?
The repo rate system allows governments to control the money supply within economies by increasing or decreasing available funds. A decrease in repo rates encourages banks to sell securities back to the government in return for cash. This increases the money supply available to the general economy.
What is privately negotiated repurchase?
A privately-negotiated share repurchase is another means for a company to repurchase its shares. Rather than repurchase its shares on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market (i.e, an open market repurchase), a company may decide to enter into share purchase agreements with individual shareholders.
Why should a company consult counsel before repurchase?
Because the definition of “distribution” under Regulation M is complex, a company should consult counsel to determine whether it is engaged in a “distribution” before proceeding with, and during the pendency of, a share repurchase program.
What is a tender offer?
Some companies may elect to make a tender offer to repurchase their shares. However, most company share repurchases are effected over a period of time through open market purchases and try to avoid being characterized as a tender offer since companies undertaking tender offers are subject to significant disclosure and substantial procedural requirements under Rule 13e-4 of the Exchange Act. Issuer tender offers may be structured as a “fixed price” tender offer or a “Dutch auction” tender offer in which the company offers to repurchase a fixed maximum number of shares within an identified range of prices. A company may consider doing a tender offer in order to repurchase a large number of shares at one time without being subject to the volume limitations under Rule 10b-18.
What is safe harbor for repurchases?
The safe harbor applies on a daily basis, and a failure to meet any one of the four conditions will remove all of a company’s repurchases from the safe harbor for the day . Generally, companies attempt to comply with Rule 10b-18.
How does ASR work?
In a typical ASR, the company enters into a “forward” contract with an investment bank at the inception of the program. At that time, the company typically makes an upfront payment to the bank, and the bank borrows the company’s shares in the market from existing shareholders and delivers those shares to the company. The bank satisfies its obligation to return the borrowed shares by purchasing shares in the open market during a pre-agreed period of time. Typically, the company receives additional shares at the end of that period although depending on the stock performance and the initial delivery of shares, the company may be obligated to return some of the shares to the bank, or pay cash instead.
What is the Delaware General Corporation Law?
For example, Section 160 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a corporation from purchasing its shares of capital stock when the purchase “would cause any impairment of the capital of the corporation”; its organizational documents, including its certificate of incorporation and bylaws;
What is return capital?
returning capital to shareholders in a more tax-efficient manner than declaring dividends; signaling to the market that its shares are undervalued and thus a good investment; offsetting the dilutive impact of merger and acquisition activity and exercises of employee stock options; and.
