Accounting Dictionary

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Treasury Stock

Definition: Treasury stock is a company's stock that it has reacquired. The company may then retire the stock or resell it at a later date. When calculating the number of shares issued and outstanding, which are reported in a company's financial statements, treasury stock is classified as issued, but it is not outstanding. Treasury stock is also not included in the calculation of a company's earnings per share, does not pay a dividend, and does not have a vote.

Companies buy back shares in order to prop up their stock price by creating artificial demand. A stock buy back is also useful for transferring money to shareholders without using a dividend.