Definition

1. Noun:
   • An owner of shares in a company: A shareholder is a person, company, or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders are the owners of the company and typically have certain rights, such as voting on corporate matters and receiving dividends.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The annual meeting allows every shareholder to vote on the new board members.
  • As a major shareholder, she has significant influence over the company's direction.
  • The dividend will be paid to all shareholders of record as of Friday.

Advanced Usage

• "Activist shareholder": A shareholder who uses their equity stake to pressure a company's management for changes, often to increase shareholder value.

  • The activist shareholder launched a campaign to replace the CEO.

• "Majority/Minority shareholder": A majority shareholder owns more than 50% of a company's shares, giving them controlling interest. A minority shareholder owns a smaller portion.

  • The founding family remains the majority shareholder.

• "Shareholder value": A business theory that the ultimate measure of a company's success is the enrichment of its shareholders.

  • The CEO's strategy is focused on maximizing shareholder value.

Variants and Related Words

• Shareholding (n): The shares in a company held by an individual or group.

  • He has a large shareholding in the technology firm.

• Stakeholder (n): This is a broader term for any person or group with an interest or concern in an organization (e.g., employees, customers, community), not just shareholders.

  • The project's success depends on satisfying all key stakeholders.

Synonyms

• Stockholder: A direct synonym for shareholder, commonly used in American English.
• Investor: A more general term for someone who allocates capital with the expectation of a future financial return; all shareholders are investors, but not all investors are shareholders (e.g., bondholders).

Related Phrases

• "Shareholder equity": The owners' claim after subtracting total liabilities from total assets on a company's balance sheet.

  • The merger significantly increased the company's shareholder equity.

• "Shareholder resolution": A proposal submitted by shareholders for a vote at a company's annual meeting.

  • The shareholder resolution on climate change was narrowly defeated.

Idioms

• "To have skin in the game": To be personally invested in the success or outcome of a venture, similar to being a shareholder.
  • As a shareholder, he definitely has skin in the game.

Noun

1. someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation