Cheap Stock: What It Is, How It Works, Example (2024)

What is Cheap Stock

Cheap stock refers to equity awards issued to employees ahead of an initial public offering (IPO) at a value far less than the IPO price.

A venture that is not yet a public company may compensate employees with employee stock options or restricted stock units. These common forms of equity compensation become "cheap stock" if later valued at a significantly higher price following an IPO.

Key Takeaways

  • Cheap stock refers to equity awards issued to employees before a public offering at valuations less than the IPO price.
  • They are common forms of equity compensation for executives and other employees.
  • Accounting for cheap stock can be problematic and may end up being registered as income on a company's balance sheet.

Understanding Cheap Stock

Pre-IPO companies will often grant to employees stock options as a form of compensation. The value of these awards are based on internal accounting and determinations made by the company, and often referred to as "cheap stock."

When a company goes public, a lengthy process begins that includes a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) review of offering documents. The SEC looks at stock-based awards granted during the most recently completed fiscal year and interim period. It compares the estimated IPO price range provided by the company to a weighted average exercise price of equity awards and may issue comments asking the company to explain a change in value between the two.

Companies often disclose the IPO price range in a subsequent amendment to the preliminary prospectus, and this can further complicate accounting and comments from the SEC. This is typically known as the "cheap stock" problem. One risk is that the company will have to record cheap stock charges on its income statement. Typically, companies employ valuation and accounting professionals to value stock.

Example of Cheap Stock

Taylor starts a new venture with their savings. Because they cannot match the attractive salaries offered by established companies, Taylor offers to employees stock options that will allow them to purchase the company's stock at a future date. The options are priced at $1 per share. Five years later, Taylor's company is successful and goes public. Bankers involved in the IPO price the company's shares at $10 per each. Employees at Taylor's company can thus cash out their cheap stock at a profit.

Cheap Stock: What It Is, How It Works, Example (2024)

FAQs

Cheap Stock: What It Is, How It Works, Example? ›

A cheap stock has a low share price and ideally, costs less than $50 per share. But these stocks aren't just inexpensive—they also have strong company fundamentals. Cheap stocks are also referred to as undervalued or bargain stocks because the price is low compared to the share's intrinsic value.

What is the cheap stock rule? ›

Cheap stock refers to equity awards issued to employees ahead of an initial public offering (IPO) at a value far less than the IPO price. A venture that is not yet a public company may compensate employees with employee stock options or restricted stock units.

Can you make money on cheap stocks? ›

Can you make money with penny stocks? Yes, you can make money with penny stocks, but you can also make money playing the lottery, though you probably won't. To make money in penny stocks, you have to be able to separate the good companies from the bad, and that means you have to be able to analyze companies.

What are really cheap stocks called? ›

Low-priced securities are often known as “microcap stocks” or “penny stocks.” Generally, microcap stocks are stocks issued by companies with market capitalization of less than $250 to $300 million. Penny stocks are typically stocks issued by very small companies that trade at less than $5 per share.

How do stocks work examples? ›

For example, say a company has positive earnings for the quarter and issues a $0.42 preferred stock dividend. If you own 100 shares of the company's preferred stock, you'll receive a cash dividend of $42.

What is the 4% rule all stocks? ›

One frequently used rule of thumb for retirement spending is known as the 4% rule. It's relatively simple: You add up all of your investments, and withdraw 4% of that total during your first year of retirement.

What is the 90% rule in stocks? ›

The Rule of 90 is a grim statistic that serves as a sobering reminder of the difficulty of trading. According to this rule, 90% of novice traders will experience significant losses within their first 90 days of trading, ultimately wiping out 90% of their initial capital.

Can I make $100 a day with stocks? ›

Stephan explained that if you pick several high-paying dividend stocks, then you could potentially make $100 per day with $520,000 invested. If you start off with nothing and invest $15 per day while reinvesting all of the dividends, Stephan said you could reach $100 per day in passive income within 30 years.

What is the best $1 stock to buy? ›

Best Stocks Under $1 to Buy in 2024
Stock TickerCompany NamePerformance (YTD)
NASDAQ: SGMOSangamo Therapeutics Inc.+ 41.07%
NYSE: EAFGrafTech International Ltd.– 58.60%
AMEX: TELLTellurian Inc.+ 24.01%
NASDAQ: FCELFuelCell Energy Inc.– 73.20%
3 more rows
Aug 28, 2024

Is investing $1 in stocks worth it? ›

Investing $1 a day not only allows you to start taking advantage of compound interest. It also helps you to get comfortable with investing and develop the habit of putting your money to work for you. As you can see, that single dollar can make a huge difference in helping you to become more financially secure.

Was Amazon a penny stock? ›

Some companies, such as Amazon (AMZN) originated as penny stocks but later grew into sizable blue-chip companies.

What is a $1 stock? ›

Investors with high-risk tolerances often turn to penny stocks, which are defined as companies trading at a share price below $5. But as their name suggests, such stocks may trade for less than $1, allowing investors to hold thousands of shares for relatively small amounts of capital.

What is the most successful penny stock ever? ›

Top 10 Most Successful Penny Stocks in History
  • AAPL-2.91% AAPL - NYSEApple Inc. ...
  • F+0.85% F - NYSEFord Motor Company. ...
  • HEAR-0.21% HEAR - NYSETurtle Beach Corporation. ...
  • MNST-0.14% MNST - NYSEMonster Beverage Corporation. ...
  • PLUG+0.26% PLUG - NASDAQPlug Power Inc. ...
  • AMD-0.50% AMD - NYSEAdvanced Micro Devices Inc. ...
  • MED-1.69% ...
  • NVAX-3.01%

How do stocks work for beginners? ›

Public companies issue stock so that they can fund their businesses. Investors who think the business will prosper in the future buy those stock issues. The shareholders get any dividends plus any appreciation in the price of the shares.

How do stocks pay you? ›

Dividends are the percentage of a company's earnings that is paid to its shareholders as their share of the profits. Dividends are generally paid quarterly, with the amount decided by the board of directors based on the company's most recent earnings. Dividends may be paid in cash or additional shares.

How much money can you make from stocks in a month? ›

Well, there is no limit to how much you can make from stocks in a month. The money you can make by trading can run into thousands, lakhs, or even higher. A few key things that intraday profits depend on: How much capital are you putting in the markets daily?

What is considered a cheap stock? ›

If a company's P/B ratio is below 1, then it may be viewed as inexpensive because it's trading for less than its break-up value. The higher the P/B ratio, the more expensive it becomes. Generally, ratios above 1.5 are considered frothy.

What is the 50% rule in trading? ›

The fifty percent principle is a rule of thumb that anticipates the size of a technical correction. The fifty percent principle states that when a stock or other asset begins to fall after a period of rapid gains, it will lose at least 50% of its most recent gains before the price begins advancing again.

What is the 1% rule in stock trading? ›

The 1% risk rule means not risking more than 1% of account capital on a single trade. It doesn't mean only putting 1% of your capital into a trade. Put as much capital as you wish, but if the trade is losing more than 1% of your total capital, close the position.

What is the 4% stock rule? ›

4% rule calculation. Start by adding up all your investments, retirement accounts, and residual income. Calculate 4% of that total, and that's the budget for your first year of retirement. After each year, you adjust for inflation.

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