22
THE WORK OF THE STOCK EXCHANGE
perpetual in character, and represents the equities of the company
as far as these are not subject to bonds, preferred stocks
or other senior securities. In order that a stock issue may be
conveniently dealt in, it is divided into a definite number of
equal shares. The actual market value of the given share at
any given time will depend upon its proportionate claim to
dividends paid and net earnings obtained, and to the equities
of the company, rather than to any nominal or par value which
may be assigned to the share. As a convenience to dealings,
common stock issues will sometimes be “split up” into a greater
number of shares by allowing the holder of “old shares” to
exchange them according to a stated ratio for “new shares.”
This of course usually occurs in the case of very prosperous
concerns, the price of whose shares has become inconveniently
high. The reverse process is sometimes followed with companies
whose shares have fallen to low levels, and here a fewer
rather than a greater number of “new shares” will be obtained
in exchange for the “old shares”; such exchanges are often
made in the course of serious corporate reorganizations.
“Rights.”—Corporations sometimes find it possible and
desirable to obtain additional capital through the sale of additional
amounts of common stock. This is usually done by giving
existing common stockholders a privilege or “right” to
subscribe to the new stock in proportion to their several holdings
of the existing stock. In case a company with 1,000,000
shares of common stock decided to issue 100,000 additional
common shares, the holder of, say, 100 shares would thus
obtain the right to buy 10 new shares at a “ratio of 10 to 1.”
The price at which an old shareholder can subscribe to new
stock in this way must of course be fixed. Naturally, if a
“right” is to possess any market value, this subscription price
must be less than the existing market price.® The period during
which such a “right” may be exercised depends of course
on the circumstances in each case, but it is often sufficiently
8 Appendix Ie.
