Written by students who passed Immediately available after payment Read online or as PDF Wrong document? Swap it for free 4.6 TrustPilot
logo-home
Document preview thumbnail
Preview 2 out of 5 pages
Class notes

Lecture notes Business Law and Practice (LW1704) Shares Notes

Document preview thumbnail
Preview 2 out of 5 pages

Lecture notes on company shares, the rights of shareholders, how shares are allotted, authorised share capital in companies and how shares are transferred - fourth year MLaw

Content preview

Shares


Shares
 Can work out partners share by how much capital they contributed:
o A contributes 100k cash
o B contributes 150k plant + machinery
o C contributes 250k freehold premises
o Partnership capital = 500k
o Partners shares:
 A 100K/500K = 2/10
 B 150K /500K = 3/10
 C 250k/500K = 5/10
 Company is a separate legal entity, partnership isn't  cash and assets are
transferred into the company  company owns its assets
 Share capital is divided into shares e.g. 500,000 shares of £1 each
 Company sells shares to shareholders in exchange for cash or assets
 Shares become property of shareholders.
 Private company  shareholders are often directors.
 Public company  more likely to have diverse ownership, directors are unlikely to
be majority shareholders particularly where they are listed companies 
directors are often given share options in remuneration package.

 Shares are property owned by shareholder
 Shareholder has an ownership interest in the company
 Shares are flexible can create different types which have different rights
 Good way of structuring external investment
 A company may be jointly owned by many shareholders.

Nominal value vs share premium
 Shares have to have a nominal or par value e.g. 1p or £1 however a shareholder may
buy shares for more than nominal value  amount paid over nominal value is called
share premium.
 More successful the company, more the company's shares are worth
 On a stock exchange it is the share premium that fluctuates.

Shareholder rights
 Specified by articles
 Typically:
o attend GMs and vote
o receive a share of the profits by way of dividend if one is declared
o on winding up  entitled to return of capital and a share of surplus capital if
any.
 Power depends on the share they have  over 50% = control of the company, can
pass OR, 75% can pass SR
 Negative control → can't pass on their own but can block SR.

,  people buy shares for capital growth, dividends (may be regular with a well-
established company) or to take part in certain decisions reserved for shareholders.
 shareholders risk losing the money they have paid/agreed to pay for their shares if
the company becomes insolvent  paid last in insolvency.
 Not liable for company’s debts and liabilities but will often get nothing back in
insolvency

 Companies typically issue shares to raise capital  can’t continuously issue new
shares or it will likely devalue current shares.
 Different share classes carry different rights  Voting, dividends, right of
redemption, etc.

Types of shares
 Ordinary  may be companies only form
 Non-voting
 Preference  paid a dividend before other classes
 Deferred ordinary
 Management shares
 Redeemable  company may be obligated to pay back share at a later date
 Class rights may be varied  s.633 CA
o written consent of holders 75% class
o SR 75% majority and class meeting, 15% may object to the court
Dividends
 Return on investment
 Become payable of declared by directors + subject to CA rules
 s.830  must be made out of profits by reference to relevant accounts
 Dividend is recommended by directors  must be approved by shareholders via OR
 Shareholders cannot vary amount set by directors.

Allotment of shares
 Shares can be issued at a premium  may not be issued at a discount
 Not necessary for payment on issue although they are typically paid in full
 PLC must receive 1/4 of the nominal value and all of share premium on issue 
don't apply to private company’s
 Shares can be issued for assets other than cash  cash is most common
 Private  cannot offer shares to public, list on stock exchange or invite people to
buy via letter etc.
 Must consider:
o Authorised Share Capital (companies incorporated before 1 Oct 2009)
o Authority to allot
o Statutory pre-emption rights  do they apply
 also formalities/filings at CH
 Authorised Share Capital
o Comps incorporated before 1 Oct 2009  memorandum of
association needed to state ASC  couldn't allot more than stated unless
they obtained shareholder approval to increase ASC by requisite amount

Document information

Study
Uploaded on
June 10, 2021
Number of pages
5
Written in
2020/2021
Type
Class notes
Professor(s)
V roper
Contains
12
$10.97

Wrong document? Swap it for free Within 14 days of purchase and before downloading, you can choose a different document. You can simply spend the amount again.
Written by students who passed
Immediately available after payment
Read online or as PDF

Sold
1
Followers
1
Items
15
Last sold
5 year ago




Why students choose Stuvia

Created by fellow students, verified by reviews

Quality you can trust: written by students who passed their tests and reviewed by others who've used these notes.

Didn't get what you expected? Choose another document

No worries! You can instantly pick a different document that better fits what you're looking for.

Pay as you like, start learning right away

No subscription, no commitments. Pay the way you're used to via credit card and download your PDF document instantly.

Student with book image

“Bought, downloaded, and aced it. It really can be that simple.”

Alisha Student

Working on your references?

Create accurate citations in APA, MLA and Harvard with our free citation generator.

Working on your references?

Frequently asked questions