Stock, also known as equities, represents partial ownership of a publicly traded company. Companies issue shares in order to raise money and grow their business. Companies list their shares on a stock exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, and investors can then buy and sell these shares among themselves. The price of a share rises or falls depending on a wide range of factors.

When a company is doing well, its share prices generally rise, and its shareholders can make a lot of money from their investments. Alternatively, a company that is struggling can see its share prices fall. In either case, however, owning stocks offers the opportunity to earn income through dividend payments. This type of income is often generated by large, mature companies that are less likely to see their share prices grow as quickly as smaller, newer companies.

Most companies have to raise money at some point, and they can do this by borrowing from someone or selling part of their company. The latter option is called equity financing, and it allows a company to avoid having to pay back the loan or interest payments that would come with debt financing.

The most common type of stock is called common stock, and it entitles its owner to vote in shareholder meetings and to receive dividends paid by the company. Some companies also issue preferred stocks, which usually don’t entitle their owners to vote in shareholder meetings but do allow them to receive dividends.

In addition to a stock’s price, another important factor is its earnings per share. Earnings per share measure a company’s profitability, and they can be compared to other companies in the same industry or even to other industries. This is a key metric in determining whether a stock is expensive or cheap.

As a general rule, high earnings per share suggest that a company is growing faster than the industry average and will likely continue to do so. However, this is not always the case, and earnings per share can also be skewed by one-time events or by accounting practices that may not be the best way to measure a company’s performance.

Aside from the numbers, a key consideration for many investors is how much risk they’re willing to take in owning stocks. In general, stocks are more volatile than other types of investment products such as bonds and savings accounts. In order to make informed decisions, investors should develop a comprehensive financial plan that reflects their investment horizon and level of risk tolerance.

Figuring out a stock’s value can be complex and time-consuming, but there are several tools that can help. One commonly used method is to look at an analyst’s forecast for the stock’s one-year price target. This is a good place to start, but keep in mind that forecasts are just that – forecasts, and as anyone who has ever listened to their local weatherman knows, they can be wrong.