A stock, also known as equity, is a security that represents the ownership of a fraction of the issuing corporation. Units of stock are called shares, which entitle the owner to a proportion of the corporation’s assets and profits equal to how much stock they own. The holder of stock, a shareholder, may have a claim to part of the company’s assets and earnings.

A shareholder is considered an owner of the issuing company, determined by the number of shares an investor owns relative to the number of outstanding shares. If a company has 1,000 shares of stock outstanding and one person owns 100 shares, that person would own and have a claim to 10% of the company’s assets and earnings.