Share — Own a Slice of a Company Explained
Medium-length body copy of one or two sentences goes here to support the main headline. Do not make your text longer than this.
Share — Own a Slice of a Company Explained
Medium-length body copy of one or two sentences goes here to support the main headline. Do not make your text longer than this.
Share — Own a Slice of a Company Explained
Medium-length body copy of one or two sentences goes here to support the main headline. Do not make your text longer than this.
Table of contents
A share is a single unit of ownership in a company. When you buy a share, you own a small piece of that business, and you may benefit if it grows, pays dividends, or both. Shares trade on the stock market through brokers and investment apps.
Share vs stock
The terms are often used interchangeably. "Stock" usually refers to ownership in a company broadly; "share" refers to one unit of that ownership. If you own ten shares of a company, you hold stock in that company, ten units of it.
Companies issue shares to raise capital. After an IPO, those shares trade between investors on the secondary market while the company continues operating.
What owning a share gives you
Depending on the share type and company policy, you may receive:
Voting rights. A say in major corporate decisions at shareholder meetings.
Dividends. A portion of profits paid to shareholders when the board approves.
Capital gains. Profit if you sell the share for more than you paid, see capital gain.
Buying shares with bunq
bunq lets you buy and sell stocks directly from your bank account, no separate brokerage setup. Build a portfolio alongside your Bank Accounts and track everything in one app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a whole share?
Many platforms offer fractional shares, buying a portion of one share. Check bunq's current investment features for what's available.
Can I lose more than I invest?
With standard share ownership, your loss is typically limited to what you paid. Share prices can fall to zero if a company fails, but you aren't usually liable beyond your investment unless you use leverage.
How is a share different from an ETF?
A share represents one company. An ETF holds a basket of many assets in a single traded product.
Table of contents
A share is a single unit of ownership in a company. When you buy a share, you own a small piece of that business, and you may benefit if it grows, pays dividends, or both. Shares trade on the stock market through brokers and investment apps.
Share vs stock
The terms are often used interchangeably. "Stock" usually refers to ownership in a company broadly; "share" refers to one unit of that ownership. If you own ten shares of a company, you hold stock in that company, ten units of it.
Companies issue shares to raise capital. After an IPO, those shares trade between investors on the secondary market while the company continues operating.
What owning a share gives you
Depending on the share type and company policy, you may receive:
Voting rights. A say in major corporate decisions at shareholder meetings.
Dividends. A portion of profits paid to shareholders when the board approves.
Capital gains. Profit if you sell the share for more than you paid, see capital gain.
Buying shares with bunq
bunq lets you buy and sell stocks directly from your bank account, no separate brokerage setup. Build a portfolio alongside your Bank Accounts and track everything in one app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a whole share?
Many platforms offer fractional shares, buying a portion of one share. Check bunq's current investment features for what's available.
Can I lose more than I invest?
With standard share ownership, your loss is typically limited to what you paid. Share prices can fall to zero if a company fails, but you aren't usually liable beyond your investment unless you use leverage.
How is a share different from an ETF?
A share represents one company. An ETF holds a basket of many assets in a single traded product.
Table of contents
A share is a single unit of ownership in a company. When you buy a share, you own a small piece of that business, and you may benefit if it grows, pays dividends, or both. Shares trade on the stock market through brokers and investment apps.
Share vs stock
The terms are often used interchangeably. "Stock" usually refers to ownership in a company broadly; "share" refers to one unit of that ownership. If you own ten shares of a company, you hold stock in that company, ten units of it.
Companies issue shares to raise capital. After an IPO, those shares trade between investors on the secondary market while the company continues operating.
What owning a share gives you
Depending on the share type and company policy, you may receive:
Voting rights. A say in major corporate decisions at shareholder meetings.
Dividends. A portion of profits paid to shareholders when the board approves.
Capital gains. Profit if you sell the share for more than you paid, see capital gain.
Buying shares with bunq
bunq lets you buy and sell stocks directly from your bank account, no separate brokerage setup. Build a portfolio alongside your Bank Accounts and track everything in one app.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a whole share?
Many platforms offer fractional shares, buying a portion of one share. Check bunq's current investment features for what's available.
Can I lose more than I invest?
With standard share ownership, your loss is typically limited to what you paid. Share prices can fall to zero if a company fails, but you aren't usually liable beyond your investment unless you use leverage.
How is a share different from an ETF?
A share represents one company. An ETF holds a basket of many assets in a single traded product.