Key Takeaways
- Capital stock is the amount of common and preferred shares that a company is authorized to issue—recorded on the balance sheet under shareholders' equity.
- The amount of capital stock is the maximum amount of shares that a company can ever have outstanding.
- Issuing capital stock allows a company to raise money without incurring debt.
Full Answer
What is the difference between capital stock and common stock?
Jan 19, 2005 · Capital stock is the amount of common and preferred shares that a company is authorized to issue—recorded on the balance sheet under shareholders' equity. The amount of capital stock is the maximum...
What is meant by 'capital stock' in macroeconomics?
Capital stock is the common stock and preferred stock that a company is allowed to issue according to its corporate charter. Common and Preferred stock can be separated into different classes of stock with their own features. In accounting, capital stock is one part of the equity section on a balance sheet.'
Is capital stock the same as common stock?
capital stock. the total amount of capital GOODS (plant, offices, machinery and equipment) currently available to a firm or an economy with which to produce goods and services. The firm's/economy's capital stock requires maintaining by INVESTMENT to replace worn out or obsolete capital items (see DEPRECIATION) but more importantly the size of the capital stock …
Is capital stock an asset or liability?
Capital stock is the combination of a corporation's common stock and preferred stock. Common stock is issued by every U.S. corporation. A small percentage of corporations also issue preferred stock. The stockholders' equity section of the balance sheet …

What does capital stock mean?
Capital stock is the amount of common and preferred shares that a company is authorized to issue, according to its corporate charter. Capital stock can only be issued by the company and is the maximum number of shares that can ever be outstanding.
What is capital stock with example?
Capital Stock = Number of shares issued x Par Value per share. For example: If a company has issued 1,000 shares at a price of $5 per share, the capital stock value would be $5,000. It is important to note that par value is a set dollar amount assigned to each common share.
What is capital stock vs common stock?
The capital stock is the total number of shares a company is legally authorized to issue in shares while common stock is a type of share issued by the company forming its capital stock. A company's capital stock is composed of common stock and preferred stock.Sep 30, 2020
Is capital stock an asset or liability?
Within a company, capital stock is not an asset at all. It belongs to the equity portion of the balance sheet. However, when one company owns stock in a second, those shares are recorded as an asset.
How is capital stock calculated?
It is calculated by multiplying the number of shares issued with the par value per share. Companies will not sell such shares to the public for less than the decided value.
What is capital stock per worker?
The stock of capital per worker: All else equal an economy with more physical capital can produce more than an economy with less physical capital. Because savings and investment add to the stock of capital, more investment in capital leads to more economic growth.
What happens when capital stock decreases?
A decrease in the capital stock causes a decrease (leftward shift) of both aggregate supply curves. Other notable aggregate supply determinants include the technology, energy prices, and the wages. Capital stock comes under the resource quantity aggregate supply determinant.
Is capital stock part of paid-in capital?
The sum of common stock and additional paid-in capital represents the paid-in capital.
Does capital stock include treasury stock?
Additional issuances of common stocks are added to the share capital of the Company. Treasury shares are deducted from the share capital of the Company under the liabilities side of the balance sheet.Jun 10, 2021
Is capital stock a debit or credit?
Account TypesAccountTypeDebitCAPITAL STOCKEquityDecreaseCASHAssetIncreaseCASH OVERRevenueDecreaseCASH SHORTExpenseIncrease90 more rows
What increases capital stock?
There are two ways to increase the capital stock of a company: By creating new shares or issuing new shares. By increasing the nominal value of existing shares.Sep 8, 2016
How do stockholders benefit from investing in capital stock?
How do stockholders benefit from investing in capital stock? The market value of the investment may increase. Stockholders may receive dividends.
What is capital stock?
Capital stock, which includes both common and preferred stock, can only be issued by the company and is commonly used to raise capital to grow and operate the business. Companies can also issue stock to pay for assets like land, facilities or equipment. Investors buy capital stock seeking returns (dividends).
Why is capital stock important?
The issuance of capital stock has its advantages, including: The ability to finance new growth without going into debt. Rather than taking out a pricey loan (which will show as a liability on the public financial documents), the company can sell capital stock to fund its growth.
What happens if a company doesn't pay dividends?
If a company has agreed to pay dividends and then doesn't pay them out, the company's reputation and stock price could be negatively affected.
What is par value?
The par value is the minimum value that cannot be used to pay shareholder dividends. This is a government-implemented rule, to which companies responded by setting the par value for their common stock certificates at one cent or less. Par value is not market value.
What is treasury stock?
Shares of stock that have been repurchased by corporations are called treasury stock. Treasury stock is authorized and issued, but not considered outstanding. Incorporated businesses are not legally allowed to own shares of their own stock. Therefore, treasury stock is recorded as a decrease in capital stock on the company's balance sheet.
Is par value a market value?
Par value is not market value. Par value is arbitrary, a value assigned to shares of stock sold by corporations (for those that assign a value at all). Conversely, market value is the real-world value of the price of a stock on the open market. Capital stock gains market value only after the shares that are issued to investors are sold ...
Why do companies sell stock?
If a company needs more money to grow, instead of taking out a loan that they will have to pay back with interest, they can sell capital stock. It also allows them to make more money than they may have been able to get if they had to take out a loan.
What is outstanding stock?
Outstanding shares are shares that have been issued to investors and are not owned by the company. To figure out your company's outstanding shares, simply subtract the number of treasury shares from the total number of issued shares.
What is par value in stock?
It is important to note that par value is a set dollar amount assigned to each common share. Any amount paid by investors above the par value is noted in the accounting books under additional paid in capital. The amount of capital stock can never be more than the amount of' authorized stock.
What happens when a company repurchases stock?
Once a stock is repurchased the company can either cancel it, reissue it, or hold onto it. What is a share? A share is a word used to describe a single capital stock. When a share is issued, it is identified by a share certificate or stock certificate that can be traded by the shareholder.
What is share trading?
Share trading is the process of buying and selling shares within a company. It is a process that only goes on between shareholders and has no impact on accounting or bookkeeping unless the company actually buys them back (then they become treasury stock).
What is corporate charter?
A corporate charter, also known as a "charter" or as "articles of incorporation ," is a legal document that is used to start a corporation. It is filed with the state government of whatever state the company incorporates in.
What is capital stock?
capital stock. Any of various shares of ownership in a business. These shares include common stock of various classes and any preferred stock that is outstanding. If a firm has only a single class of capital stock outstanding, the terms common stock and capital stock are often used interchangeably.
What is the net accumulation of a physical stock of capital goods?
the net accumulation of a physical stock of CAPITAL GOODS (buildings, plant, machinery, etc.) by a firm, industry or economy at any one point in time ( see POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT ).
What is authorized share?
Authorized Shares. The maximum number of shares a company is allowed to issue. Generally, the company's charter specifies the number of authorized shares, but shareholders can increase or decrease it according to procedures listed in the charter.
What is capital stock?
Capital stock refers to the shares of ownership that have been issued by a corporation. The amount received by the corporation when its shares of capital stock were issued is reported as paid-in capital within the stockholders' equity section of the balance sheet.
Who is Harold Averkamp?
Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) has worked as a university accounting instructor, accountant, and consultant for more than 25 years. He is the sole author of all the materials on AccountingCoach.com. Read more about the author.
What is Capital Stock?
Capital stock is comprised of all types of shares issued by a corporation. An alternative definition of capital stock is that it is comprised of the total number of common and preferred shares that are authorized for issuance. This amount may be substantially larger than the number of shares actually issued.
Presentation of Capital Stock
The funds received from capital stock are recorded within the stockholders' equity section of the balance sheet. This section is located near the bottom of a balance sheet, after the presentation of asset and liability line items.
Examples of Capital Stock
This classification includes common stock, and may also include several types of preferred stock.
What is capital stock?
Capital Stock Definition. The capital stock is the total amount of share capital (including equity capital and preference capital) that has been issued by a company , and the same can be found in the balance sheet in the column of “shareholder’s equity.”. It is a means of raising funds by the company to meet its various business goals.
What is Treasury stock?
Treasury Shares Treasury Stock is a stock repurchased by the issuance Company from its current shareholders that remains non-retired. Moreover, it is not considered while calculating the Company’s Earnings Per Share or dividends. read more. means those issued shares which are bought back by the company.
Is dividend a tax deduction?
The following are the disadvantages which are listed below: The dividend that the company pays is not a tax-deductible expense. The control of the company is diluted when it is issued. The company is subjected to various laws and regulations when it issues it and thus is complicated than taking a loan, for instance.
What is capital stock?
The term Capital Stock may mean company stock share ownership, or it may refer to production assets of an economy. The term Capital appears in quite a few different terms, with different meanings in business finance, investing, budgeting—and the field of Economics.
What is capital in economics?
By Smith's definition, capital is stock, while profit refers to realizing the revenue from improvements made to that stock. Smith also viewed capital improvement the preferred objective for the economic and system. Note, however, that Smith called his ideal economic system "natural liberty," although others later named it "Capitalism.".
Where does the word capital come from?
The first known use of the word capital is in early Middle English, in which it was used as an adjective meaning "of or relating to the head.". It derives from the Latin adjective capitalis, of the same meaning, coming from the Latin name for "head," caput. The word originally indicated something affecting the head, ...
What is balance sheet?
The Balance Sheet summarizes the value of the firm's Assets, Liabilities, and Equities at one point in time. Companies normally publish the Balance Sheet and other financial statements just after the close of a financial quarter or year.

What Is Capital Stock?
How to Calculate The Value of Capital Stock
- The dollar value of a company's stock is arbitrary–typically one penny or less–and is assigned specifically for balance sheet reporting purposes when the company is issuing share capital. The par value is unrelated to the market price. To calculate the value of capital stock, use the following equation: Value of capital stock = (Par value per share)x(Number of shares issued)
Advantages
- The issuance of capital stock has its advantages, including: 1. The ability to finance new growth without going into debt. Rather than taking out a pricey loan (which will show as a liability on the public financial documents), the company can sell capital stock to fund its growth. 2. The amount of capital raised by selling stock may be more than the funding received had the company taken …
Disadvantages
- Issuing stock can have drawbacks as well. These can include: 1. Relinquishing part of the company's equity. By selling capital stock to investors, the company is giving up some of its ownership. 2. Dilution of share value. The more capital stock the company issues, the more diluted the value of each share becomes. 3. As a company continues to raise capital through th…