What is the difference between Shares and Debentures? - ProProfs Discuss
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What is the difference between Shares and Debentures?

Asked by Isa , Last updated: Apr 25, 2024

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5 Answers

G. Woods

G. Woods

Traveler and writer by profession.

G. Woods
G. Woods, College student, Graduate, Southampton

Answered Dec 22, 2020

When people refer to “shares,” this means that this is the capital of the company. There are some companies that would offer their shares to various people so that they can also invest in the company. The investments will then be used so that the company can do other things that can improve the brand’s value and so much more.

When you say debentures, you are referring to the company’s debt. This would occur when the company is not doing so well or if it has spent a lot of money on some investments wherein there is no fruition yet. The income that will be earned on debentures will be called “interest.” The income that will be earned on shares will be called “dividend.”

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H. Barnes

H. Barnes

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H. Barnes
H. Barnes, Unemployed, Barnes, Atlanta

Answered Dec 18, 2020

Shares and debentures are two terms related to assets, the stock market, and companies. Shares are what the company gets. It is a profit that is based upon two things, which are the performance of the company, as well as the amount of dividends that investors get.

Shares are also able to be issued, which can depend on the dividends offered and the action boards vote. Debentures differ because they are categorized as passives. These passives are from a firm and the firm is to pay the holder a certain amount of interest that can be exchanged at a later time.

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F. Daniel

F. Daniel

I work for a California based MNC.

F. Daniel
F. Daniel, Content Optimization Executive, Diploma in Journalism, California

Answered Dec 15, 2020

Share is a financial instrument that gives an individual the right to own a portion of the share capital of a particular company. Initially, shares refer to the capital of a company, but they can be sold to people in an open market in a bid to raise more money for the company. As a result, every shareholder now owns a part of the company’s overall capital.

The debentures represent the funds borrowed from an external party. Debenture shows that a company is indebted to an external party, and it also comes with a specific rate of interest that will be paid to the creditor. When people buy shares from a company, they become shareholders. As for debentures, the holders are called debenture holders.

The holders of debenture get their return in the form of interest. In contrast, the holder of shares gets a dividend. Shareholders get the dividend only if the company makes profits, whereas interest must be paid to the holders of debenture even if the company does not make any profit.

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W. Pratt

W. Pratt

Want to learn new things and share my knowledge

W. Pratt
W. Pratt, Marketing Analyst, MBA, Lincoln

Answered Aug 04, 2020

Shares and debentures actually represent assets that have been traded in the security markets with unique characteristics that define both the return and the risks involved. Share is the part where a company gets it, which is profit based on the price performance and the dividends paid to investors.

Shares can also be issued; this depends on the disjunctive between offered dividends and the right to vote in the actionist’s board. Debentures, on the other hand, are passives that are acquired for a firm to pay its holder a particular interest in order to exchange or obtain immediate resources so as to invest them and payback in a future date.

Debentures can be issued by the government in order to finance budget; it can also be issued by a private firm so as to finance new investment projects. When uncertainty is absent between assets, including shares and debentures, the return must be the same.

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A. Samuel

A. Samuel

Writing quality content for contentment has been my passion since i was 21. I've been pursuing it as a Content Manager and Producer.

A. Samuel
A. Samuel, Content Manager, Masters in Marketing and accounting, Florida

Answered Jul 21, 2020

Shares are sold to investors by companies in order to source capital. To investors, shares are like a financial instrument which makes an investor owns a part of a company. Shares are sold in exchange for a particular amount from each investor. The return of this type of investment is based on the performance of the firm.

This means what an investor gets as returns depend on whether a firm is making profit or loss. A debenture, on the other hand, refers to a type of debt security issued big companies to borrow money from investors. Shareholders in a company also own a part of the company, whereas debentures do not mean that an investor owns a part of the company, but he or she is entitled to be paid a certain amount of money as interest.

The expected return for an investor is dependent on the performance of the firm. In debentures, the expected return of investment is fixed and does not depend on the performance of a company.

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