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<span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Advantages and disadvantages</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Advantages_and_disadvantages-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Advantages and disadvantages subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Advantages_and_disadvantages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Advantages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Advantages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Advantages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Advantages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Disadvantages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Disadvantages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Disadvantages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Disadvantages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Stockholders" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Stockholders"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Stockholders</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Stockholders-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-General_trend" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#General_trend"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>General trend</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-General_trend-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Privatization" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Privatization"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Privatization</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Privatization-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Trading_and_valuation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Trading_and_valuation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Trading and valuation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Trading_and_valuation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Public company</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 51 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-51" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">51 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9_%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9" title="شركة عامة – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="شركة عامة" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company" title="Public company – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Public company" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%B0ctimai_%C5%9Firk%C9%99t" title="İctimai şirkət – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="İctimai şirkət" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-azb mw-list-item"><a href="https://azb.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%A7_%D8%A2%DA%86%DB%8C%D9%82_%D8%B4%DB%8C%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%AA" title="خالقا آچیق شیرکت – South Azerbaijani" lang="azb" hreflang="azb" data-title="خالقا آچیق شیرکت" data-language-autonym="تۆرکجه" data-language-local-name="South Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>تۆرکجه</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bn mw-list-item"><a href="https://bn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95_%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF" title="পাবলিক কোম্পানি – Bangla" lang="bn" hreflang="bn" data-title="পাবলিক কোম্পানি" data-language-autonym="বাংলা" data-language-local-name="Bangla" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>বাংলা</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-min-nan mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-min-nan.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong-khai_kong-si" title="Kong-khai kong-si – Minnan" lang="nan" hreflang="nan" data-title="Kong-khai kong-si" data-language-autonym="閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú" data-language-local-name="Minnan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gú</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%8F" title="Публічная кампанія – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Публічная кампанія" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be-x-old mw-list-item"><a href="https://be-tarask.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%8F" title="Публічная кампанія – Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" lang="be-tarask" hreflang="be-tarask" data-title="Публічная кампанія" data-language-autonym="Беларуская (тарашкевіца)" data-language-local-name="Belarusian (Taraškievica orthography)" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская (тарашкевіца)</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Публична компания – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Публична компания" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporaci%C3%B3_p%C3%BAblica" title="Corporació pública – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Corporació pública" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rsennotiertes_Unternehmen" title="Börsennotiertes Unternehmen – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Börsennotiertes Unternehmen" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%B6rsiettev%C3%B5te" title="Börsiettevõte – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Börsiettevõte" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empresa_de_capital_abierto" title="Empresa de capital abierto – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Empresa de capital abierto" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publika_kompanio" title="Publika kompanio – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Publika kompanio" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company" title="Public company – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Public company" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%B1%DA%A9%D8%AA_%D8%B3%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C_%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85" title="شرکت سهامی عام – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="شرکت سهامی عام" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_anonyme_avec_appel_public_%C3%A0_l%27%C3%A9pargne" title="Société anonyme avec appel public à l'épargne – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Société anonyme avec appel public à l'épargne" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EA%B3%B5%EA%B0%9C_%ED%9A%8C%EC%82%AC" title="공개 회사 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="공개 회사" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95_%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80" title="सार्वजनिक कंपनी – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="सार्वजनिक कंपनी" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perusahaan_terbuka" title="Perusahaan terbuka – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Perusahaan terbuka" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societ%C3%A0_ad_azionariato_diffuso" title="Società ad azionariato diffuso – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Società ad azionariato diffuso" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%97%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%94_%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%AA" title="חברה ציבורית – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="חברה ציבורית" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D2%9A%D0%BE%D2%93%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B4%D1%8B%D2%9B_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Қоғамдық компания – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Қоғамдық компания" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sw mw-list-item"><a href="https://sw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirika_la_umma" title="Shirika la umma – Swahili" lang="sw" hreflang="sw" data-title="Shirika la umma" data-language-autonym="Kiswahili" data-language-local-name="Swahili" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kiswahili</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publiska_kapit%C4%81lsabiedr%C4%ABba" title="Publiska kapitālsabiedrība – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Publiska kapitālsabiedrība" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9szv%C3%A9nyt%C3%A1rsas%C3%A1g" title="Részvénytársaság – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Részvénytársaság" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%AC%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B2%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D_%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%AE%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%A8%E0%B4%BF" title="പബ്ലിക്ക് കമ്പനി – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="പബ്ലിക്ക് കമ്പനി" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95_%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80" title="सार्वजनिक कंपनी – Marathi" lang="mr" hreflang="mr" data-title="सार्वजनिक कंपनी" data-language-autonym="मराठी" data-language-local-name="Marathi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>मराठी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-arz mw-list-item"><a href="https://arz.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%83%D9%87_%D8%B9%D9%85%D9%88%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%87_%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%87" title="شركه عموميه محدوده – Egyptian Arabic" lang="arz" hreflang="arz" data-title="شركه عموميه محدوده" data-language-autonym="مصرى" data-language-local-name="Egyptian Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>مصرى</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syarikat_awam" title="Syarikat awam – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Syarikat awam" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ne mw-list-item"><a href="https://ne.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%AC%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95_%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%80" title="पब्लिक कम्पनी – Nepali" lang="ne" hreflang="ne" data-title="पब्लिक कम्पनी" data-language-autonym="नेपाली" data-language-local-name="Nepali" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>नेपाली</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%AC%E9%96%8B%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE" title="公開会社 – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="公開会社" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uz mw-list-item"><a href="https://uz.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ochiq_aksiyadorlik_jamiyati" title="Ochiq aksiyadorlik jamiyati – Uzbek" lang="uz" hreflang="uz" data-title="Ochiq aksiyadorlik jamiyati" data-language-autonym="Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча" data-language-local-name="Uzbek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pa mw-list-item"><a href="https://pa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A8%9C%E0%A8%A8%E0%A8%A4%E0%A8%95_%E0%A8%95%E0%A9%B0%E0%A8%AA%E0%A8%A8%E0%A9%80" title="ਜਨਤਕ ਕੰਪਨੀ – Punjabi" lang="pa" hreflang="pa" data-title="ਜਨਤਕ ਕੰਪਨੀ" data-language-autonym="ਪੰਜਾਬੀ" data-language-local-name="Punjabi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ਪੰਜਾਬੀ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%B3%C5%82ka_publiczna" title="Spółka publiczna – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Spółka publiczna" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empresa_de_capital_aberto" title="Empresa de capital aberto – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Empresa de capital aberto" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companie_public%C4%83" title="Companie publică – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Companie publică" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Публичная компания – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Публичная компания" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-si mw-list-item"><a href="https://si.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B6%B4%E0%B7%9C%E0%B6%AF%E0%B7%94_%E0%B7%83%E0%B6%B8%E0%B7%8F%E0%B6%9C%E0%B6%B8" title="පොදු සමාගම – Sinhala" lang="si" hreflang="si" data-title="පොදු සමාගම" data-language-autonym="සිංහල" data-language-local-name="Sinhala" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>සිංහල</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_company" title="Public company – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Public company" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%B6rssiyhti%C3%B6" title="Pörssiyhtiö – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Pörssiyhtiö" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv badge-Q70893996 mw-list-item" title=""><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publika_bolag" title="Publika bolag – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Publika bolag" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8A%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D_%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%99%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81_%E0%AE%A8%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B1%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%A9%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D" title="பொதுப் பங்கு நிறுவனம் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="பொதுப் பங்கு நிறுவனம்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tt mw-list-item"><a href="https://tt.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%98%D2%97%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Иҗтимагый компания – Tatar" lang="tt" hreflang="tt" data-title="Иҗтимагый компания" data-language-autonym="Татарча / tatarça" data-language-local-name="Tatar" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Татарча / tatarça</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%99" title="บริษัทมหาชน – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="บริษัทมหาชน" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halka_a%C3%A7%C4%B1k_%C5%9Firket" title="Halka açık şirket – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Halka açık şirket" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%96%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%96%D1%8F" title="Публічна компанія – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Публічна компанія" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ur mw-list-item"><a href="https://ur.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C_%DA%A9%D9%85%D9%BE%D9%86%DB%8C" title="عوامی کمپنی – Urdu" lang="ur" hreflang="ur" data-title="عوامی کمپنی" data-language-autonym="اردو" data-language-local-name="Urdu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>اردو</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4ng_ty_%C4%91%E1%BA%A1i_ch%C3%BAng" title="Công ty đại chúng – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Công ty đại chúng" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%8A%E5%B8%82%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8" title="上市公司 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="上市公司" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%8A%E5%B8%82%E5%85%AC%E5%8F%B8" title="上市公司 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="上市公司" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet 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id="mw-content-subtitle"><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_corporations&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Public corporations">Public corporations</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Company that offers its securities for sale to the general public</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">This article is about publicly traded companies. For enterprises owned by the state or a state entity, see <a href="/wiki/State-owned_enterprise" title="State-owned enterprise">State-owned enterprise</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-More_citations_needed plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Refimprove" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This article <b>needs additional citations for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">verification</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Public_company" title="Special:EditPage/Public company">improve this article</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.<br /><small><span class="plainlinks"><i>Find sources:</i> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Public+company%22">"Public company"</a> – <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Public+company%22+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1">news</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Public+company%22&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks">newspapers</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Public+company%22+-wikipedia">books</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Public+company%22">scholar</a> <b>·</b> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Public+company%22&acc=on&wc=on">JSTOR</a></span></small></span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">January 2020</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:New_York_Stock_Exchange_Facade_2015.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="The New York Stock Exchange Building in 2015" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/New_York_Stock_Exchange_Facade_2015.jpg/220px-New_York_Stock_Exchange_Facade_2015.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="330" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/New_York_Stock_Exchange_Facade_2015.jpg/330px-New_York_Stock_Exchange_Facade_2015.jpg 1.5x, 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.sidebar{width:100%!important;clear:both;float:none!important;margin-left:0!important;margin-right:0!important}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .sidebar a>img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1246091330"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks vcard hlist"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">This article is part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Corporate_law" title="Category:Corporate law">a series</a> on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle"><a href="/wiki/Corporate_law" title="Corporate law">Corporate law</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Society.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Society.svg/200px-Society.svg.png" decoding="async" width="200" height="79" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Society.svg/300px-Society.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Society.svg/400px-Society.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="96" data-file-height="38" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:center; background:lavender; line-height:130%; padding:0.3em 0em;;color: var(--color-base)">By jurisdiction</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Anguillan_company_law" title="Anguillan company law">Anguilla</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Australian_corporate_law" title="Australian corporate law">Australia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands_company_law" title="British Virgin Islands company law">BVI</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Canadian_corporate_law" title="Canadian corporate law">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cayman_Islands_company_law" title="Cayman Islands company law">Cayman Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_company_law" title="Indian company law">India</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/South_African_company_law" title="South African company law">South Africa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_company_law" title="United Kingdom company law">UK</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_States_corporate_law" title="United States corporate law">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corporate_law_in_Vietnam" title="Corporate law in Vietnam">Vietnam</a></li> <li><br /><a href="/wiki/European_corporate_law" class="mw-redirect" title="European corporate law">European Union</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/French_company_law" title="French company law">France</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/German_company_law" title="German company law">Germany</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:center; background:lavender; line-height:130%; padding:0.3em 0em;;color: var(--color-base)">General corporate forms</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Company" title="Company">Company</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Conglomerate_(company)" title="Conglomerate (company)">Conglomerate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cooperative" title="Cooperative">Cooperative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corporation" title="Corporation">Corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Holding_company" title="Holding company">Holding company</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Joint-stock_company" title="Joint-stock company">Joint-stock</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Partnership" title="Partnership">Partnership</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/General_partnership" title="General partnership">General</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limited_partnership" title="Limited partnership">Limited</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limited_liability_partnership" title="Limited liability partnership">Limited liability</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Private_limited_company" title="Private limited company">Private limited</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shell_corporation" title="Shell corporation">Shell corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shelf_corporation" title="Shelf corporation">Shelf corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sole_proprietorship" title="Sole proprietorship">Sole proprietorship</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:center; background:lavender; line-height:130%; padding:0.3em 0em;;color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/List_of_legal_entity_types_by_country" title="List of legal entity types by country">Corporate forms<br />by jurisdiction</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><table class="sidebar nomobile nowraplinks" style="background-color: transparent; color: var( --color-base ); border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-heading"> <a href="/wiki/European_corporate_law" class="mw-redirect" title="European corporate law">European Union</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="border-bottom:#ccc 1px solid"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Societas_Europaea" title="Societas Europaea"><i>Societas</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SE)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Societas_cooperativa_Europaea" title="Societas cooperativa Europaea"><i>Societas cooperativa</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SCE)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Societas_privata_Europaea" title="Societas privata Europaea"><i>Societas privata</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SPE)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Societas_unius_personae" title="Societas unius personae"><i>Societas unius personae</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SUP)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_economic_interest_grouping" title="European economic interest grouping">Economic interest grouping <span style="font-size:85%;">(EEIG)</span></a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading"> <span class="nowrap">UK / Ireland / Commonwealth</span></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="border-bottom:#ccc 1px solid"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Charitable_incorporated_organisation" title="Charitable incorporated organisation">Charitable incorporated organisation (England and Wales) <span style="font-size:85%;">(CIO)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Scottish_charitable_incorporated_organisation" title="Scottish charitable incorporated organisation">Scottish charitable incorporated organisation <span style="font-size:85%;">(SCIO)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Community_interest_company" title="Community interest company">Community interest company <span style="font-size:85%;">(CIC)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Industrial_and_provident_society" title="Industrial and provident society">Industrial and provident society <span style="font-size:85%;">(IPS)</span></a></li> <li><br /><a href="/wiki/Limited_company" title="Limited company">Limited company <span style="font-size:85%;">(Ltd.)</span></a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Private_company_limited_by_guarantee" class="mw-redirect" title="Private company limited by guarantee">by guarantee</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Private_company_limited_by_shares" title="Private company limited by shares">by shares</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Proprietary_company" title="Proprietary company">proprietary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Public_limited_company" title="Public limited company">public</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Unlimited_company" title="Unlimited company">Unlimited company</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading"> United States</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="border-bottom:#ccc 1px solid"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Benefit_corporation" title="Benefit corporation">Benefit corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/C_corporation" title="C corporation">C corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limited_liability_company" title="Limited liability company">Limited liability company <span style="font-size:85%;">(LLC)</span></a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Low-profit_limited_liability_company" title="Low-profit limited liability company">Low-profit LLC</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Series_LLC" title="Series LLC">Series LLC</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limited_liability_limited_partnership" title="Limited liability limited partnership">Limited liability limited partnership <span style="font-size:85%;">(LLLP)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/S_corporation" title="S corporation">S corporation</a></li> <li><span class="nowrap"><a href="/wiki/Delaware_General_Corporation_Law" title="Delaware General Corporation Law">Delaware corporation</a> / <a href="/wiki/Delaware_statutory_trust" title="Delaware statutory trust">statutory trust</a></span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Massachusetts_business_trust" title="Massachusetts business trust">Massachusetts business trust</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nevada_corporation" title="Nevada corporation">Nevada corporation</a></li></ul></td> </tr><tr><th class="sidebar-heading"> Others</th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content" style="border-bottom:#ccc 1px solid"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Aktiebolag" title="Aktiebolag"><i>Aktiebolag</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(AB)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aktiengesellschaft" title="Aktiengesellschaft"><i>Aktiengesellschaft</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(AG)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ansvarlig_selskap" title="Ansvarlig selskap"><i>Ansvarlig selskap</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(ANS)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aktieselskab" title="Aktieselskab"><i>Aktieselskab</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(A/S)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aksjeselskap" title="Aksjeselskap"><i>Aksjeselskap</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(AS)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gesellschaft_mit_beschr%C3%A4nkter_Haftung" class="mw-redirect" title="Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung"><i>Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(GmbH)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kabushiki_gaisha" title="Kabushiki gaisha"><i>Kabushiki gaisha</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(K.K.)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Naamloze_vennootschap" title="Naamloze vennootschap"><i>Naamloze vennootschap</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(N.V.)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Osakeyhti%C3%B6" title="Osakeyhtiö"><i>Osakeyhtiö</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(Oy)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/S.A._(corporation)" title="S.A. (corporation)">S.A.</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9_%C3%A0_responsabilit%C3%A9_limit%C3%A9e" title="Société à responsabilité limitée"><i>Société à responsabilité limitée</i> <span style="font-size:85%;">(SARL)</span></a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Types_of_business_entity" class="mw-redirect" title="Types of business entity">more...</a></li></ul></td> </tr></tbody></table></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:center; background:lavender; line-height:130%; padding:0.3em 0em;;color: var(--color-base)">Doctrines</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Business_judgment_rule" title="Business judgment rule">Business judgment rule</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corporate_governance" title="Corporate governance">Corporate governance</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/De_facto_corporation_and_corporation_by_estoppel" title="De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel"><i>De facto</i> and estoppel corporations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Internal_affairs_doctrine" title="Internal affairs doctrine">Internal affairs doctrine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Limited_liability" title="Limited liability">Limited liability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tag-along_right" title="Tag-along right">Tag-along right</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Drag-along_right" title="Drag-along right">Drag-along right</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Piercing_the_corporate_veil" title="Piercing the corporate veil">Piercing the corporate veil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rochdale_Principles" title="Rochdale Principles">Rochdale Principles</a></li> <li><i><a href="/wiki/Ultra_vires" title="Ultra vires">Ultra vires</a></i></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="text-align:center; background:lavender; line-height:130%; padding:0.3em 0em;;color: var(--color-base)">Related areas</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Beneficial_ownership" title="Beneficial ownership">Beneficial ownership</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Civil_procedure" title="Civil procedure">Civil procedure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Contract" title="Contract">Contract</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_company_registers" class="mw-redirect" title="List of company registers">Corporate registers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Registered_agent" title="Registered agent">Registered agent</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-below"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Portal:Companies" title="Portal:Companies">Company portal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Portal:Law" title="Portal:Law">Law portal</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Corporate_law" title="Template:Corporate law"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Corporate_law" title="Template talk:Corporate law"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Corporate_law" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Corporate law"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>A <b>public company</b><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is a <a href="/wiki/Company" title="Company">company</a> whose ownership is organized via shares of <a href="/wiki/Share_capital" title="Share capital">stock</a> which are intended to be freely traded on a <a href="/wiki/Stock_exchange" title="Stock exchange">stock exchange</a> or in <a href="/wiki/Over-the-counter_(finance)" title="Over-the-counter (finance)">over-the-counter</a> markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (<a href="/wiki/Listing_(finance)" title="Listing (finance)">listed company</a>), which facilitates the trade of shares, or not (<a href="/wiki/Unlisted_public_company" title="Unlisted public company">unlisted public company</a>). In some jurisdictions, public companies over a certain size must be listed on an exchange. In most cases, public companies are <i>private</i> enterprises in the <i>private</i> sector, and "public" emphasizes their reporting and trading on the public markets. </p><p>Public companies are formed within the <a href="/wiki/Legal_systems" class="mw-redirect" title="Legal systems">legal systems</a> of particular states and so have associations and formal designations, which are distinct and separate in the polity in which they reside. In the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, for example, a public company is usually a type of <a href="/wiki/Corporation" title="Corporation">corporation</a> though a corporation need not be a public company. In the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>, it is usually a <a href="/wiki/Public_limited_company" title="Public limited company">public limited company</a> (plc). In <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, it is a <span title="French-language text"><i lang="fr"><a href="/wiki/S.A._(corporation)" title="S.A. (corporation)">société anonyme</a></i></span> (SA). In <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a>, it is an <span title="German-language text"><i lang="de"><a href="/wiki/Aktiengesellschaft" title="Aktiengesellschaft">Aktiengesellschaft</a></i></span> (AG). While the general idea of a public company may be similar, differences are meaningful and are at the core of <a href="/wiki/International_law" title="International law">international law</a> disputes with regard to industry and trade. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Securities">Securities</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Securities"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Usually, the securities of a publicly traded company are owned by many investors while the shares of a <a href="/wiki/Privately_held_company" title="Privately held company">privately held company</a> are owned by relatively few shareholders. A company with many shareholders is not necessarily a publicly traded company. Conversely, a publicly traded company typically (but not necessarily) has many shareholders. In the United States, companies with over 500 shareholders in some instances are required to report under the <a href="/wiki/Securities_Exchange_Act_of_1934" title="Securities Exchange Act of 1934">Securities Exchange Act of 1934</a>; companies that report under the 1934 Act are generally deemed public companies.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Advantages_and_disadvantages">Advantages and disadvantages</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Advantages and disadvantages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Advantages">Advantages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Advantages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A public company possess some advantages over privately held businesses. </p> <ul><li>Publicly traded companies are able to raise funds and <a href="/wiki/Financial_capital" title="Financial capital">capital</a> through the sale (in the primary or secondary market) of shares of <a href="/wiki/Stock" title="Stock">stock</a>. That is the reason publicly traded corporations are important since prior to their existence, it was very difficult to obtain large amounts of capital for private enterprises, as significant capital could come only from a smaller set of wealthy investors or banks willing to risk typically large investments. The profit on stock is gained in form of <a href="/wiki/Dividend" title="Dividend">dividend</a> or <a href="/wiki/Capital_gain" title="Capital gain">capital gain</a> to the holders.</li> <li>The financial media, analysts, and the public are able to access additional information about the business, since the business is commonly legally bound, and naturally motivated (so as to secure further capital), to <a href="/wiki/Annual_report" title="Annual report">disseminate public information regarding the financial status and future of the company</a> to its many shareholders and the government.</li> <li>Because many people have a vested interest in the company's success, the company may be more popular or recognizable than a private company.</li> <li>The initial shareholders of the company are able to share risk by selling shares to the public. Those who hold a 100% share of the would have need to pay all of the business's debt; however, individuals who were to hold a 50% share would need to pay only 50% of the debt. That increases asset liquidity and the company does not need to depend on funding from a bank. For example, the founder of <a href="/wiki/Facebook" title="Facebook">Facebook</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg" title="Mark Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a>, owned 29.3% of the company's class A shares in 2013,<sup id="cite_ref-:0_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> which gave him enough voting power to control the business and allowed Facebook to raise capital from and to distribute risk to the remaining shareholders. Facebook had been a privately held company prior to its <a href="/wiki/Initial_public_offering" title="Initial public offering">initial public offering</a> in 2012.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>If some shares are given to managers or other employees, potential conflicts of interest between employees and shareholders (an instance of <a href="/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_problem" title="Principal–agent problem">principal–agent problem</a>) will be remitted. As an example, in many tech companies, entry-level software engineers are given stock in the company upon being hired and so they become shareholders. Therefore, the engineers have a vested interest in the company succeeding financially and are incentivized to work harder and more diligently to ensure that success.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup></li> <li>Public companies have <a href="/wiki/Fiduciary" title="Fiduciary">fiduciary</a> duty to their shareholders, in addition to the directors' fiduciary duty to the company itself.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Disadvantages">Disadvantages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Disadvantages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Many stock exchanges require that publicly traded companies have their accounts regularly <a href="/wiki/Financial_audit" title="Financial audit">audited</a> by outside auditors and then publish the accounts to their shareholders. Besides the cost, that may make useful information available to competitors. Various other annual and quarterly reports are also required by law. In the United States, the <a href="/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act" title="Sarbanes–Oxley Act">Sarbanes–Oxley Act</a> imposes additional requirements. The requirement for audited books is not imposed by the exchange known as OTC Pink.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The shares may be maliciously held by outside shareholders and the original founders or owners may lose benefits and control. The <a href="/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_problem" title="Principal–agent problem">principal–agent problem</a>, or the agency problem is a key weakness of public companies. The separation of a company's ownership and control is especially prevalent in such countries as the United Kingdom and the United States.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Stockholders">Stockholders</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Stockholders"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the United States, the <a href="/wiki/Securities_and_Exchange_Commission" class="mw-redirect" title="Securities and Exchange Commission">Securities and Exchange Commission</a> requires firms whose stock is traded publicly to report their major <a href="/wiki/Shareholders" class="mw-redirect" title="Shareholders">shareholders</a> each year.<sup id="cite_ref-R000323_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-R000323-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The reports identify all institutional shareholders (primarily firms that own stock in other companies), all company officials who own shares in their firm, and all individuals or institutions owning more than 5% of the firm's stock.<sup id="cite_ref-R000323_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-R000323-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="General_trend">General trend</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: General trend"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>For many years, newly-created companies were privately held but held <a href="/wiki/Initial_public_offering" title="Initial public offering">initial public offering</a> to become publicly traded company or to be acquired by another company if they became larger and more profitable or had promising prospects. More infrequently, some companies such as the investment banking firm <a href="/wiki/Goldman_Sachs" title="Goldman Sachs">Goldman Sachs</a> and the logistics services provider <a href="/wiki/United_Parcel_Service" title="United Parcel Service">United Parcel Service</a> (UPS) chose to remain privately held for a long period of time after maturity into a profitable company. </p><p>However, from 1997 to 2012, the number of corporations publicly traded on US stock exchanges dropped 45%.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to one observer (<a href="/wiki/Gerald_F._Davis" title="Gerald F. Davis">Gerald F. Davis</a>), "public corporations have become less concentrated, less integrated, less interconnected at the top, shorter lived, less remunerative for average investors, and less prevalent since the turn of the 21st century".<sup id="cite_ref-davis_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-davis-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Davis argues that technological changes such as the decline in price and increasing power, quality and flexibility of <a href="/wiki/Numerical_control" title="Numerical control">computer numerical control</a> machines and newer digitally enabled tools such as <a href="/wiki/3D_printing" title="3D printing">3D printing</a> will lead to smaller and more local organization of production.<sup id="cite_ref-davis_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-davis-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Privatization">Privatization</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Privatization"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In corporate privatization, more often called "<a href="/wiki/Going_private" class="mw-redirect" title="Going private">going private</a>," a group of private investors or another company that is privately held can buy out the shareholders of a public company, taking the company off the public markets. That is typically done through a <a href="/wiki/Leveraged_buyout" title="Leveraged buyout">leveraged buyout</a> and occurs when the buyers believe the securities have been undervalued by investors. In some cases, public companies that are in severe financial distress may also approach a private company or companies to take over ownership and management of the company. One way of doing so would be to make a <a href="/wiki/Rights_issue" title="Rights issue">rights issue</a> designed to enable the new investor to acquire a <a href="/wiki/Supermajority" title="Supermajority">supermajority</a>. With a supermajority, the company could then be relisted, or privatized.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Alternatively, a publicly traded company may be purchased by one or more other publicly traded companies, with the target company becoming either a <a href="/wiki/Subsidiary" title="Subsidiary">subsidiary</a> or <a href="/wiki/Joint_venture" title="Joint venture">joint venture</a> of the purchaser(s), or ceasing to exist as a separate entity, its former shareholders receiving compensation in the form of either cash, shares in the purchasing company or a combination of both. When the compensation is primarily shares then the deal is often considered a <a href="/wiki/Merger" class="mw-redirect" title="Merger">merger</a>. Subsidiaries and joint ventures can also be created <i><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/de_novo" class="extiw" title="wikt:de novo">de novo</a></i>. That often happens in the financial sector. Subsidiaries and joint ventures of publicly traded companies are not generally considered to be privately held companies (even though they themselves are not publicly traded) and are generally subject to the same reporting requirements as publicly traded companies. Finally, shares in subsidiaries and joint ventures can be (re)-offered to the public at any time. Firms that are sold in this manner are called <a href="/w/index.php?title=Corpotate_spin-out&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Corpotate spin-out (page does not exist)">spin-outs</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Most industrialized jurisdictions have enacted laws and regulations that detail the steps that prospective owners (public or private) must undertake if they wish to take over a publicly traded corporation. That often entails the would-be buyer(s) making a formal offer for each share of the company to shareholders.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Trading_and_valuation">Trading and valuation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Trading and valuation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The shares of a publicly traded company are often traded on a <a href="/wiki/Stock_exchange" title="Stock exchange">stock exchange</a>. The value or "size" of a company is called its <a href="/wiki/Market_capitalization" title="Market capitalization">market capitalization</a>, a term which is often shortened to "market cap". This is calculated as the number of shares outstanding (as opposed to authorized but not necessarily issued) times the price per share. For example, a company with two million shares outstanding and a price per share of US$40 has a market capitalization of US$80 million. However, a company's market capitalization should not be confused with the fair market value of the company as a whole since the price per share are influenced by other factors such as the volume of shares traded. Low trading volume can cause artificially low prices for securities, due to investors being apprehensive of investing in a company they perceive as possibly lacking liquidity.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>For example, if all shareholders were to simultaneously try to sell their shares in the open market, this would immediately create downward pressure on the price for which the share is traded unless there were an equal number of buyers willing to purchase the security at the price the sellers demand. So, sellers would have to either reduce their price or choose not to sell. Thus, the number of trades in a given period of time, commonly referred to as the "volume" is important when determining how well a company's market capitalization reflects true fair market value of the company as a whole. The higher the volume, the more the fair market value of the company is likely to be reflected by its market capitalization.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Another example of the impact of volume on the accuracy of market capitalization is when a company has little or no trading activity and the market price is simply the price at which the most recent trade took place, which could be days or weeks ago. This occurs when there are no buyers willing to purchase the securities at the price being offered by the sellers and there are no sellers willing to sell at the price the buyers are willing to pay. While this is rare when the company is traded on a major stock exchange, it is not uncommon when shares are traded <a href="/wiki/Over-the-counter_(finance)" title="Over-the-counter (finance)">over-the-counter</a> (OTC). Since individual buyers and sellers need to incorporate news about the company into their purchasing decisions, a security with an imbalance of buyers or sellers may not feel the full effect of recent news.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1259569809">.mw-parser-output .portalbox{padding:0;margin:0.5em 0;display:table;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:175px;list-style:none}.mw-parser-output .portalborder{border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa)}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-entry{display:table-row;font-size:85%;line-height:110%;height:1.9em;font-style:italic;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-image{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .portalbox-link{display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .portalleft{clear:left;float:left;margin:0.5em 1em 0.5em 0}.mw-parser-output .portalright{clear:right;float:right;margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em}}</style><ul role="navigation" aria-label="Portals" class="noprint portalbox portalborder portalright"> <li class="portalbox-entry"><span class="portalbox-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Industry5.svg/28px-Industry5.svg.png" decoding="async" width="28" height="28" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Industry5.svg/42px-Industry5.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Industry5.svg/56px-Industry5.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="512" /></span></span></span><span class="portalbox-link"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Companies" title="Portal:Companies">Companies portal</a></span></li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Forbes_Global_2000" title="Forbes Global 2000"><i>Forbes</i> Global 2000</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Government_agency" title="Government agency">Government agency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Non-departmental_public_body" title="Non-departmental public body">Non-departmental public body</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Public_limited_company" title="Public limited company">plc, public company under UK legislation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Stock_exchange_cooperative" title="Stock exchange cooperative">Stock exchange cooperative</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Statutory_corporation" title="Statutory corporation">Statutory corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Publicly_unlisted_company" class="mw-redirect" title="Publicly unlisted company">Publicly unlisted company</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Regulatory_agency" title="Regulatory agency">Regulatory agency</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Statutory_authority" class="mw-redirect" title="Statutory authority">Statutory authority</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Statutory_corporation" title="Statutory corporation">Statutory corporation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Success_trap" title="Success trap">Success trap</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_company_law" title="United Kingdom company law">United Kingdom company law</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Also named <b>publicly traded company</b>, <b>publicly held company</b>, <b>publicly listed company</b> or <b>public limited company</b></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Public_company&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-:0-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-:0_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFDillet2013" class="citation web cs1">Dillet, Romain (February 15, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 15,</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=TechCrunch&rft.atitle=Zuckerberg+Now+Owns+29.3+Percent+Of+Facebook%27s+Class+A+Shares+And+This+Stake+Is+Worth+%2413.6+billion&rft.date=2013-02-15&rft.aulast=Dillet&rft.aufirst=Romain&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ftechcrunch.com%2F2013%2F02%2F15%2Fzuckerberg-now-owns-29-3-percent-of-facebook-representing-18-billion%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APublic+company" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/081415/if-your-would-have-invested-right-after-facebooks-ipo.asp">"If You Had Invested Right After Facebook's IPO (FB, TWTR)"</a>. 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Investopedia. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170407130528/http://www.investopedia.com/articles/fundamental-analysis/08/pink-sheets-ottcb.asp">Archived</a> from the original on April 7, 2017<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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(July 2024)">page needed</span></a></i>]</sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-R000323-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-R000323_8-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-R000323_8-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/flaherty/flaherty5.html">"Myth #5. The Federal Reserve is owned and controlled by foreigners"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Political_Research_Associates" title="Political Research Associates">Political Research Associates</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081203174200/http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/flaherty/flaherty5.html">Archived</a> from the original on December 3, 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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