Stock Warrants

What are Stock Warrants?

Stock warrants are options issued by a company that trades on an exchange and give investors the right (but not obligation) to purchase company stock at a specific price within a specified time period. When an investor exercises a warrant, they purchase the stock, and the proceeds are a source of capital for the company.

However, a warrant does not mean the actual ownership of the stocks but rather the right to purchase the company shares at a particular price in the future. Warrants are not popular in the United States, but they are common in other countries such as China.

Call and Put Warrants

There are two kinds of warrants:

A call warrant is the right to buy a specified amount of shares from a company at a certain price in the future. A put warrant is the right to sell back a specified number of shares to the issuing company at a specific price in the future.

A warrant certificate is issued when an investor is granted a warrant. The certificate includes the terms of the warrant, such as expiry date and the final day it can be exercised.

Why are Stock Warrants Issued?

A company may issue a warrant to attract more investors for an offered bond or stock. As a result, the company may obtain better terms on the bond or stock offering.

For example, when the company shares trade at $100 each, and the warrants are $10 each, more investors will exercise the right of a warrant, even if they lack enough capital to buy the stocks. The warrant represents a potential source of capital in the future when the company needs to raise additional capital without offering other bonds or stock.

Further, companies can issue warrants as a capitalization option when heading to bankruptcy. Issuing warrants provides the company with a future source of capital.

Also, a warrant may be issued as a way of preserving goodwill from the company’s shareholders. It will be more easy to convince shareholders to pay $10 per warrant than to purchase additional company shares at $100. However, warrants should be used carefully due to the quick gains or losses that they create.

More Resources

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Stock Warrants. To keep learning and advancing your career, the following CFI resources will be helpful:

• Bonds Payables
• Capital Asset Pricing Model
• Cost of Preferred Stock
• Earnings Per Share
• See all derivatives resources