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Conference nyoss1::market_investing

Title:Market Investing
Moderator:2155::michaud
Created:Thu Jan 23 1992
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1060
Total number of notes:10477

452.0. "Class 'B' common shares" by DSSDEV::PIEKOS (Zoo TV) Thu Apr 15 1993 16:01

I own some stock in a company that is considering creating and selling
some class B common stock, non-voting, to reduce debt and such.  Essentially, 
it will result in something similar to a 2:1 stock split, so the newspaper says.

My questions are this:

What benefit does creating a "class b" stock give the company?   What about
the shareholders?

Why would an investor want to buy "class b" stock, which is non-voting, over
buying voting stock?

Does this action increase or decrease the value of my holdings?

I'm assuming that a lot of this should be spelled out in some proxy which
I haven't received yet.  Is this a valid asssumption?

Thanks,

John Piekos
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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452.1SDSVAX::SWEENEYPatrick Sweeney in New YorkFri Apr 16 1993 10:3028
    Benefit to the company
    
    They get the cash without the obligation to repay a bank or a
    bondholder. (same as any stock offering)
    
    Benefit to the shareholder
    
    Voting rights are not diluted by an offering of non-voting stock.
    
    Motivation for buying non-voting stock
    
    It's less expensive because the market places a value on voting rights.
    However, dividends and in the event of liquidation, the proceeds, are
    distributed on an equal basis.
    
    Marketing impact of the offering
    
    New stock typically depresses the price for a while until that market
    can digest whether getting the extra cash was worth it.  It all
    depends on the size of the offering.  An offering that adds 10% to the
    shareholder equity is different from one that adds 100% to the
    shareholder equity.
    
    Disclosure
    
    The offering is described in a prospectus.  Typically current
    shareholders have "preemptive" rights, namely to buy the stock ahead of
    the public.  Contact shareholder relations at the company.
452.2DSSDEV::PIEKOSZoo TVFri Apr 16 1993 10:373
Thanks for the details, Pat.

John Piekos