Equity vs Shares

The key difference between equity and shares is that equity is the sign of ownership in any business entity, implying that somebody has ownership rights in the year-marked entity. Therefore, equity is not allowed to trade freely in the market. In contrast, a share is a portion of the equity measured in terms of number, value, and percentage in that entity and can be easily traded in the market through stock exchanges.

The corporate world is about owning the equity and the quantum of the shares directly or indirectly. The holding of equity determines the ownership and managerial control of the shareholder.

Equity means the ownership stake in the company. In layman's terms, it means ownership capital or net worth after repayment of all the debts. Equity investments are generally bought with the expectation of enjoying the price appreciation and grasping the opportunity to enjoy the increase in value. It provides the cushion of a benefit of ownership and its utility in day-to-day life.

Shares are the unit of the company's capital or other entity. One can get ownership of the company by its shares. Therefore, shares are pieces of money freely tradeable in the stock exchange market. Moreover, the holding of shares determines the proportion of equity held by any individual directly or indirectly, allowing investors to keep the investment in any entity for the long and short term. Thus, share contracts are easily tradable and can get squared off in the stock exchange.

Let us take an example: -

• Mr. A buys a house worth $1 million through a bank loan of $800,000. In the said transaction, Mr. A has equity of $200,000 in the home, i.e., 20%.
• In XYZ Ltd, Mr. A buys 20% of the shares at market value. By purchasing these, Mr. A holds a 20% ownership stake in the entity.
• Mr. Y buys shares of Reliance Ltd. from the stock exchange. Here, shares are freely purchased from the market either to benefit from short-term price movement or to enjoy the appreciation of the value of the investment.

• Equity is the ownership stake in the entity or other valuable business component, while shares are the measurement of the ownership proportion of the individual in that business component.
• Equity will be available in all the business structures, including proprietorship or partnership, or corporate business structure, while shares will be available only in the corporate systems.
• Equity is generally not freely tradable in the market as it directly affects the holding of the business entity. At the same time, shares are easily tradable through the recognized stock exchange.
• Equity includes shares, stocks, and other ownership capital, while the company shares have only equity share capital and preference share capital.
• Equity investments are generally riskier as the person holds the ownership interest in the entity, which will keep them open to all the risks the entity faces. Generally, they are unlimitedly liable for their interest. In contrast, share investment is comparatively less risky as they are only liable up to the subscribed capital in the entity. Hence, they have liability only up to the face value of the investment.
• Generally, equity investments are for the long term, while share investments are for the short term.
• The primary aim of equity investors is to profit from investments and appreciate their value, while share investors intend to enjoy short-term price movement.
• Equity is a broader term as compared to shares.
• Equity instrument holders do not always have the right to receive dividends, while shareholders are always entitled to dividends.

In general, people do use equity and shares interchangeably. But fundamentally, there is a difference between both the terms.

Equity investments are the primary investments that help the entity raising money and give investors appreciation in their investment values. In contrast, share investments are made by the trader in the stock market. Their main aim is to speculate and to earn short-term price gain. Equity components involve the shares, stocks, reserves, and own funds. Hence, equity is a much broader term while shares are part of equity, and hence it is the part of the same.

This article is a guide to Equity vs. Shares. We also discuss the top differences between equity and shares with infographics and a comparison table. You may also have a look at the following articles: – –

• Equity Investment Examples
• Liability vs Debt
• Shares vs Debentures
• Differences Between Shareholder Equity and Net Worth