How Do Companies Make Money From Their Stock?

Stocks are a way for shareholders and companies to benefit from each other. While the idea of investing money into a company for stock is quite clear-cut from the shareholder’s side, not everyone knows how the company utilizes stock exchanges.

So, how do companies make money from their stock?

Companies make money from their stock from the shares purchased by investors. Companies sell shares of their company to investors, who in turn purchase the shares. The investor receives part-ownership of the company, while the company receives the money paid for the share by the investor.

Stocks not only allow investors to capitalize on their investments, but also provide companies with an opportunity to secure cash flow for various needs.

Read on to learn more about the specifics of how companies make money from their stock as well as additional information regarding how companies can benefit from stock price increases and how companies use stock money.

How Do Companies Make Money From Stocks?

When a company decides it wants to offer stocks, it creates shares available to investors. For the price of an investment, these shares offer partial ownership – and sometimes more – to those who purchase shares. When investors buy stock, the company receives the money spent on the stock by the investor.

As you will learn below, companies that offer stock do not only make money upfront. For now, however, it is beneficial to know that the main way companies make money from stocks is by receiving and typically spending the money paid by investors. 

When a company goes public, it can make money from any investor who wishes to buy stock rather than having to track investors individually. Through an initial public offering, or IPO, shares of a company’s stock can be listed on stock exchanges for purchase by any investor.

When an investor decides to buy one or more shares of a company’s stock, they must pay the required price for the stock, which is predominantly determined by the company’s standing and the number of shares and/or ownership offered in the purchase. When the investor pays for the stock, the money goes to the company.

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How Does A Company Benefit From A Stock Price Increase?

As you have learned, the simple answer for how companies make money from stocks is that investors buy shares upfront, and the money from the investors goes to the company. However, what happens when most or all of a company’s shares have been sold? How do they make money from stocks in the long run?

One of the more common ways a company can make money from stocks in the long run is through stock price increases. If a company’s stock price increases, several factors can allow them to make even more money.

One way stock price increases are good for a company is that it simply makes the company look healthy, stable, and reliable. Raised stock prices are evidence of investors who own shares in the company trusting that the company will thrive. This raises the capital of a company, making it better equipped to build in the future.

Stock price increases make a company’s assets more valuable. If a company has additional shares that it has not issued yet, it can choose to sell those shares at the price of the new stock price. If potential shareholders see the value in the raised prices and believe they could rise even higher in the future, they may be more inclined to invest.

How Else Do Companies Benefit From Stocks?

Aside from the obvious reason of receiving money for shares of stock from investors, there are other ways companies can benefit from stocks. Below are a few ways companies can benefit from stocks over time.

After receiving the money from initial investments, companies can use the money for various reasons. You will learn more about this below. In any case, once those shares have been purchased, shareholders can be a huge factor in how a company benefits.

Stocks and their effect on shareholders can be good for publicity and gaining company benefits for certain circumstances. For instance, a company whose dealings in stock suggest financial security can lead to the company receiving cheaper interest rates for its own investments. This is not directly making money, but instead saves the company large amounts of money.

By staying secure in the stock exchange, a company solidifies itself as successful among its shareholders, the media, and even the general public. While helping hugely in the financial aspect, it can simply support the popularity of the company. Whether the company deals in retail, medicine, or anything else, customers may be more drawn to a company with proven success in its stocks.

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How Do Companies Use Stock Money?

Companies may use the money they earn from stocks in a variety of ways. Depending on its financial situation, a company oftentimes starts selling shares because there is something they want to raise money for.

Below are common reasons a company chooses to sell shares and how they use the money.

1. Paying Off Debt

Particularly for companies that hit the ground running and grow rapidly, debt is only natural. In fact, many companies prefer to take on large amounts of debt rather than owning equity. Eventually, however, the debt must at least be partially paid off.

Selling shares allows a company to gather large amounts of money quickly and pay off any outstanding debts that they otherwise would not have the funds for. Stocks can help these payments go over efficiently.

2. Funding New Products

If a company comes up with an idea for a new product release, they might consider selling shares to have enough money for the manufacturing and distribution of the product.

This can be a great way to start selling products for a company that has never done so before. It may also be useful if the product is substantially more expensive than other products sold by the company.

3. Relocation Or Expansion

Growing companies are always looking for ways to adapt to the industry. If a company finds that it is growing much quicker than expected, it may choose to expand or simply relocate to a more heavily-populated area. Raising money through selling shares is an excellent way to pay for such a costly venture.

Whether a company relocates or wants to build more in other places, both are common reasons why it may get involved in issuing stocks.

The Bottom Line

Initially, companies make money from stocks from the investors who buy shares in the company. Over time, however, there are multiple ways a company can continue to capitalize on its involvement in selling shares of stock.

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Thanks for reading folks! As always, I hope this article was helpful – come back anytime.

Geek, out.