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Avoid Equity Over-Financing

A mistake that many overlook

By Dr. Sulaiman AlgharbiPublished about a year ago 3 min read
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If more equity money is brought in, there will be a subsequent increase in the total number of shares that are now held by the company. If money is not used to carry out true company growth, such as acquiring more productive assets or paying off current obligations, the benefits earned by shareholders will diminish. It's possible that raising a lot of stock that isn't needed will hurt the company's finances, and it's even possible that the company will go out of business altogether.

To raise money for their company, businesses often turn to equity financing, which involves the sale of company stock in exchange for financial backing. Businesses often turn to equity financing not just to carry out planned expansions but also to pay off existing debts or deploy the cash to counter expected financial risks. Equity financing is frequently utilized for all three of these purposes.

Shareholders are entitled to the right to demand that companies either increase the value of their shares or pay dividends on the shares that they possess.

Businesses are able to avoid the need to take out loans from financial institutions or sell bonds by using equity financing to acquire considerable quantities of money from their shareholders. The interest rate that banks charge on loans is often higher than the dividends that shareholders anticipate getting from the bank. This is because banks are in the business of making money.

When it comes to generating cash, one of the options that are open to companies is to issue bonds to investors. This is yet another method that may be used. In this approach, companies pay back the whole face value of the bonds that they have issued to investors, in addition to the interest payments that they make on a consistent basis.

Although it is much more cost-efficient for the company to take out loans from banks rather than pay investors dividends on their shares or interest on their bonds, the company may nevertheless choose to do so even if it is possible for the company to do so.

Investors hate it when their companies issue more shares for equity financing since it dilutes their ownership position in the business and makes them less likely to get a return on their investment. When the value of the share drops considerably, certain circumstances might lead to the company losing all of its owners.

Increasing the amount of stock in the firm will result in a decrease in the earnings that are distributed per share for the business (EPS). The earnings per share (EPS) of a business is the major component that investors consider when deciding whether to change their focus from one company to another. As a result, investors pay a great deal of attention to a company's EPS.

The dip in profits per share (EPS) that a company suffers as a result of obtaining additional capital via equity financing is a natural consequence of the increase in the firm's overall capital. In this game, the stakes are quite high. Businesses are obligated to take all of the appropriate preventative measures in order to forestall an appreciable drop in their profits per share (EPS). A big decrease in EPS may lessen the benefits that are offered to shareholders, which may motivate them to sell their shares and invest their money elsewhere. If this occurs, shareholders may be encouraged to sell their shares and invest their money elsewhere.

Tesla Inc., a firm that makes electric automobiles, has successfully completed the process of equity financing as of the 13th of February in the year 2020. They are increasing the number of equity shares available for purchase from 2.65 million to a total of 2.65 million. Elon Musk, the Chief Executive Officer of Tesla, revealed at a later date that the company intended to buy up to $10 million worth of shares at the time when more shares were issued. This information was provided in reference to a previous statement. This is an illustration of how increasing the amount of equity capital that the business receives might have a negative impact on the pricing of the company's shares.

The aforementioned does not always suggest that equity financing is always a poor choice to make in any given circumstance. The following are some scenarios in which obtaining cash in the form of stocks can benefit the company. A company may still reduce its total debt by making smart use of equity financing, which is a step that should definitely be taken.

economybusiness
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About the Creator

Dr. Sulaiman Algharbi

Retired after more than 28 years of experience with the Saudi Aramco Company. Has a Ph.D. degree in business administration. Book author. Articles writer. Owner of ten patents.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sulaiman.algharbi/

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