
When a stock’s delisted, it’s removed from whatever exchange it traded on. What happens next depends largely on the reason for delisting
Listing
In corporate finance, a listing refers to the company's shares being on the list of stock that are officially traded on a stock exchange. Some stock exchanges allow shares of a foreign company to be listed and may allow dual listing, subject to conditions.
What can I do if my stock is delisted?
- Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Newater Technology, Inc. Luminex Corp. Lighting Science Group Corp. ...
- Chinacache International Holdings Ltd. Superior Energy Services, Inc. Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. Mikros Systems Corp. ...
- Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. Norbord, Inc. Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Acorn International, Inc. ...
What are the reasons for delisting a stock?
Key Takeaways
- Delisting occurs when a stock is removed from a stock exchange
- Delisting usually means that a stock has failed to meet the requirements of the exchange.
- A price below $1 per share for an extended period is not preferred for major indexes and is a reason for delisting.
What happens to my shares when a company is delisted?
What Happens to a Shareholder When Delisting Occurs?
- No Effects on Ownership. When you buy a stock, you own it until you either sell it or, in some cases, the company redeems it from you.
- Decline in Value. Before a stock gets delisted, an announcement is made to the marketplace. ...
- Decline in Liquidity. ...
- Effects of Private Buyout. ...
Will I Lose my shares if a company is delisted?
Shareholders can still trade the stock, though it is likely that the market will be less liquid. Shareholders should carefully evaluate delisted stocks, as moving to the OTC could mean that the company is in financial trouble and may be facing bankruptcy soon. In bankruptcy, investors could lose everything.
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Can you sell a delisted stock?
If a company is delisted, you are still a shareholder, to the extent of a number of shares held. And yet, you cannot sell those shares on any exchange. However, you can sell it on the over-the-counter market. This means you can look for a buyer outside the stock exchange.
Do you still own stock if its delisted?
If a company has been delisted, it is no longer trading on a major exchange, but the stockholders are not stripped of their status as owners. The stock still exists, and they still own the shares; however, delisting often results in a significant or total devaluing of a company's share value.
Are delisted stocks worthless?
When a security gets delisted, it ceases to trade on a major exchange. That said, technically, the holding of an investor is intact, and he can still trade in the security, provided there are willing buyers. However, in reality, the ownership right to the security becomes worthless.
How do I claim a loss on a delisted stock?
The delisting of shares results in the impossible selling of shares until the company goes through the exit route. It is effectively irrecoverable and is a loss to the taxpayer. Once the company goes through liquidation or is referred to NCLT under IBC, NCLT declares the company to drop the shares and claim the loss.
What happens to shareholders after delisting?
When a company is delisted, its shares are no longer eligible for trading on the stock exchange. As a shareholder and if you continue to hold on to the shares post-delisting, you will continue to have legal and beneficial ownership and rights over the shares that you hold in the company.
What happens to shareholders if a stock is delisted?
Shareholders retain their legal rights and equity interest in a delisted stock even if they cannot sell their stake as readily as previously.
What are the benefits of delisting?
* Delisting of shares may lead to increase in value of other securities listed ( like ADRs, GDRs etc.) ✓ Share Price movement of past 3 years (as evidenced below) specifies that most of the FIIs & DIIs could have bought shares at a price higher than current market price.
What happens if Robinhood stock is delisted?
If a stock that you own delists, you'll be able to sell it in the market, but you won't be able to purchase additional shares. Once a stock delists, the in-app market data will no longer reflect the current trading price.
Why would a stock be delisted?
A stock would be delisted if the issuing company failed to meet the minimum standards set by the exchange it was listed on. For example, if ABC Company was listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market for three years, but they didn't meet the income requirements for the last two years, NASDAQ could delist that company.
What is delisted stock?
Delisted stocks are removed from the exchanges they used to trade on. They're then traded "over the counter" (OTC). OTC stocks are traded through what is called a " market maker. " Pricing details are provided by either the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or Over-the-Counter Link LLC. 7
What happens if a company fails to meet the standards?
If a company fails to meet one of these standards, the exchange could delist it. If that happens, the shares of that company would move to the OTC market. Delistings don't happen right away, and companies will often get a chance to correct their standing.
Why do companies delist their stock?
A company can ask to delist its stock from the exchange on which it's traded. When a company voluntarily delists, it may not be for bad reasons. One reason could be that it wants to go private. In that case, its shares have been bought out, maybe by a private equity firm. It could be a sign of good things to come for the firm.
What are the rules and standards that stock exchanges have?
Stock exchanges have rules and standards that companies must meet to be listed. These are called listing standards. 1 Some exchanges have "initial listing standards" that apply to new stocks, and "continued listing standards" stocks must meet to stay on the exchange. Continued listing standards might be higher or lower than the initial standards. Others might only require that the same standard be maintained throughout a stock's listing.
What happens if a stock price dips below the listing standard?
If the stock's price has dipped below the level required by listing standards, the company could use reverse splits to correct the pricing problem. This doesn't affect the value of your investment, but it gives you fewer shares in a company.
What does it mean when a stock is removed from an exchange?
New stocks are added, and some old ones are removed. When a stock is removed from an exchange, it's known as "delisting. ".
Why are stocks delisted?
There are many reasons why a stock may be delisted — but not all are necessarily bad. A company can opt for a voluntary delisting if it goes private or is bought out by another public company in a merger. An involuntary delisting isn’t so pretty….
What does delisted stock mean?
What Does ‘Delisted Stock’ Mean? Simply put, a delisted stock is a stock that’s been removed from a major stock exchange, like the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or Nasdaq. It can be any stock, on any major stock exchange. To trade on the major exchanges, a company has to meet a set of requirements.
What happens if a company falls below the requirements to trade on the major exchanges?
To trade on the major exchanges, a company has to meet a set of requirements. Failure to do so will result in a warning. And if the company continues to fall below the requirements, it could be delisted. A company can also voluntarily delist its stock. More on that in a bit.
What is the minimum stock price required to delist?
The NYSE, Amex, and Nasdaq all require companies to keep their shares above $1. If a stock stays below that level, the exchange will begin the delisting process.
What happens when a stock is in violation of the exchange?
A big exchange has a reputation to maintain and doesn’t want to mess around with shady companies. So when a stock is in violation, the company is put on notice. If the company fails to meet the requirements within the required amount of time, it’s delisted from the exchange.
How to avoid getting delisted?
The best way for a company to avoid getting delisted is to stay above the exchange’s minimum standards.
What happens if a stock trades below $1 a share?
In an involuntary scenario, the exchange removes the company for violating its guidelines. Major U.S. exchanges can boot a stock if it trades below $1 a share for a period of time or if it fails to meet requirements for market value, corporate practices, or listing fees.
What happens if a stock is delisted?
If a stock is delisted, the company may still trade over two different platforms, namely: the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or the pink sheets system. Although both are significantly less regulated than the major exchanges, OTCBB is by far the stricter of the two.
What happens when a company delists from the stock market?
When a company delists from a major exchange, shareholders still legally own their shares, even if they're worthless in value. Generally speaking, delisting is regarded as a precursor to the act of declaring bankruptcy .
What happens to preferred stockholders in bankruptcy?
If a delisted company enters bankruptcy, preferred stockholders are entitled to be paid from any liquidated assets before common stockholders may collect any money.
Why do stocks drop off radar?
As a result, individual investors have less data on which to base their investment decisions, often causing such stocks to drop off their radar screens. Not surprisingly, a delisted company's liquidity and trading volume typically plummet as a result.
What could cause a stock to be delisted from an exchange?
Failure to continually comply with these edicts could cause a stock to be delisted from an exchange.
How much stock must a company hold?
For example, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) requires companies to maintain at least 1.1 million publicly-traded shares outstanding that must be minimally worth $100 million. Furthermore, if a company fails to file performance documents such as 10-Q s or 10-K s with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the exchange may choose to delist that company's stock. 1
What are the requirements to sell stocks?
The mandates include share price minimums, certain shareholder thresholds, and fastidious documentation of a company's performance and operational data.
What is delisting in stock market?
Delisting refers to the process by which a listed security is removed from an exchange on which it is traded. Delisting could further be classified into voluntary delisting and involuntary delisting. Voluntary Vs. Involuntary Delisting.
What happens when a security is delisted?
When a security gets delisted, it ceases to trade on a major exchange. That said, technically, the holding of an investor is intact, and he can still trade in the security, provided there are willing buyers.
Why is it important to comply with listing standards?
The compliance reassures investors of the credibility of the company in question. On the contrary, when a company flouts these norms, it's forced out of an exchange.
Do private investors get return on investment?
However, in a going private transaction, investors at least get some return on their investment, as companies buy out existing shareholders.
Can companies delist their stock?
Some companies may voluntarily opt to delist their shares from an exchange. Does that mean they are fickle minded? Probably not. The decision to voluntarily delist may be taken weighing in the cost-benefit ratio. Companies may deem it too unviable to have their stocks listed, as legal and compliance costs associated with listing may outweigh the benefits arising out of a listing.
What happens if a company is delisted?
Ads by. If a company is delisted, technical ly there is no change in the shares. They still represent the same ownership stake in the company, and nothing officially changes in terms of the company's ability to conduct business.
What does "delisting" mean on the stock market?
As we mentioned, the term "delisting" is typically used in reference to a stock that no longer meets its exchange's requirements and is subsequently removed. When listed on a major exchange, such as the Nasdaq or NYSE, companies and their stocks need to meet certain requirements.
Why do companies delist?
Another reason for delisting is because of company bankruptcy or dissolution. When a company is involved in bankruptcy proceedings, it can be easily identified because the letter "Q" will be added to the end of the company's stock symbol. Generally, when the company emerges from bankruptcy, the shares will be delisted and will cease ...
What happens to stock after bankruptcy?
Generally, when the company emerges from bankruptcy, the shares will be delisted and will cease to exist entirely. Even if new stock is issued after bankruptcy, shares that existed before bankruptcy will be worthless. It's also worth noting that when a company goes bankrupt, it will generally have violated one or more of ...
What happens if a company goes bankrupt?
It's also worth noting that when a company goes bankrupt, it will generally have violated one or more of the exchange's requirements ( often the $1 share-price require ment) and could be delisted before the bankruptcy officially begins. Or, sometimes companies choose to dissolve entirely.
What does "delist" mean?
However, delisting technically just means the removal of a listed stock from its exchange, and there are a few reasons that can happen.
Is delisting a bad thing?
However, the market generally sees a delisting as a major negative sign that can damage investor confidence in the company. In addition, moving off one of the major exchanges can result in less interest from institutional investors, which can in turn result in lower volume and reduced liquidity for shares.
China wants Didi to delist over security concerns
China is concerned about the security of its citizens’ data. Not only is Didi listed in the U.S., but two of its biggest stockholders, Uber and SoftBank, are non-Chinese companies.
It's unclear what would happen to your Didi stock
Bloomberg first reported that China wants Didi to either list on Hong Kong, which is now fully part of China, or go private. If the company lists in Hong Kong, U.S. Didi investors would get its Hong Kong-listed shares. However, the Hong Kong listing may be at a lower price than its current U.S. price.
SoftBank could lose billions from the Didi fiasco
SoftBank, which is Didi's largest stockholder, would be the biggest loser in a delisting. So would Uber, which got a stake in Didi in exchange for selling its Chinese operations to the company. Uber has been facing tough competition outside the U.S. and has exited several other markets in Asia.
Other Chinese stocks might also fall
Chinese stocks tumbled amid the tech crackdown. Furthermore, just when fears of further Chinese crackdowns were abating, concerns of a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy grew, exacerbated by Alibaba's tepid outlook during its Q2 2022 earnings release.
Xi Jinping might not care much
For Chinese president Xi Jinping, social stability and national security are a far bigger concern than Didi stockholders losing billions of dollars. The country has taken a hard turn toward the left, erasing the gains it has made over the last two decades. Didi’s delisting would also impact other Chinese companies seeking a U.S. listing.

Definition and Example of A Delisted Stock
- Stocks can be removed from an exchange's list of tradeable stocks. The removal of a stock from an exchange is known as "delisting." The procedure happens when a stock doesn't meet the exchange's requirements, or a company chooses not to be publicly traded anymore. A stock would be delisted if the issuing company were to fail to meet the minimum sta...
How Does Delisting A Stock Work?
- Stock exchanges have rules and standards that companies must meet to be listed. These are called listing standards.1Some exchanges have "initial listing standards" that apply to new stocks, and "continued listing standards" stocks must meet to stay on the exchange. Continued listing standards might be higher or lower than the initial standards. Others might only require that the …
Types of Delistings
- There are two types of delistings: exchange-initiated, sometimes called "involuntary delisting," and issuer-initiated, sometimes called "voluntary delisting."
What It Means For Individual Investors
- Delisted stocks are removed from the exchanges they used to trade on. They're then traded "over the counter" (OTC). OTC stocks are traded through what is called a "market maker." Pricing details are provided by either the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or Over-the-Counter Link LLC.6 If the stock's price has dipped below the level required by listing standards, the company could u…