Equity Instruments Ontology
Core terms are those fundamental to all equity instruments. This ontology also distinguishes between privately held and publicly traded equity instruments, and defines a number of related concepts, such as voting rights.
Copyright (c) 2013-2025 EDM Council, Inc. Copyright (c) 2018-2025 Object Management Group, Inc. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the 'Software'), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS', WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. See https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to add a link to the formula used to calculate an adjustable rate dividend and loosen some constraints to make the ontology more useful in cases where one could have information about a preferred share, such as having an adjustable rate dividend, but not necessarily having the details (SEC-138).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to add a property for the number of available shares, required for MiFID reporting (SEC-97).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to clean up older deprecations (FND-399).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to eliminate deprecations that are more than 6 months old and to replace content that is now available in the OMG Commons Ontology Library (Commons) v1.1 (FND-380).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to merge details from the old corporations ontology into corporate bodies for consistency and useability (BE-259).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to reconcile shareholding with equity position (BE-254), and make other small changes such as renaming has floating shares to has floating stock (SEC-200).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to replace content that is now available in the OMG Commons Ontology Library (Commons) v1.1 (FND-380) and to clean up details related to regular schedules (FBC-317).
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of the ontology was modified to use the Commons Ontology Library (Commons) Annotation Vocabulary rather than the OMG's Specification Metadata vocabulary.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was modified to clarify a restriction on perpetual preferred share, add extendible preferred share, and add the CFI definition for limited partnership unit.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was modified to use the Commons Ontology Library (Commons) rather than the OMG's Languages, Countries and Codes (LCC), eliminating redundancies in FIBO as appropriate.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to add concepts covering additional features of preferred shares, move the two exhaustive CFI-specific classes to the Equity CFI individuals ontology, rename EquityIssuer to ShareIssuer to be clearer about the intent, and add the concept of a price per share.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to add the notion of a VIE share and integrate dividend distribution method with strategy.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to address text formatting hygiene issues.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to clean up deprecated elements, most of which had been in the ontology for awhile.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to deprecate the notion of a securities restriction specific to a limited partnership fund unit, which required import of unnecessary content and would not be used in practice.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to incorporate a property allowing representation of the share class, streamline the representation of voting rights and payment form, clean up ambiguous definitions, and eliminate redundant restrictions related to security form.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to incorporate additional features required to map the CFI classification scheme to equity instruments, including features specific to preferred shares.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to refine the definition of listed share, update definitions to remove leading articles, add missing properties and restrictions, revise the definition of dividend.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to refine the definition of share to include a restriction for hasSharesOutstanding, eliminate duplication of concepts in LCC, and add the concept of an equity issuer.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to reflect the move of hasMaturityDate from FinancialInstruments to Debt in FBC and eliminate named individuals for specifying voting rights, which caused issues for some tools.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to rename ownership related properties for consistent alignment with the ownership situational pattern and to move properties / restrictions that define how many shares have been issued from the issuer to the share.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to replace 'publicly-traded share' with 'exchange-specific share', which is the more commonly used designation and corresponds better with the intended semantics of this concept, to merge in concepts that were formerly in a separate ShareTerms ontology, and eliminate deprecated elements.
The https://spec.edmcouncil.org/fibo/ontology/SEC/Equities/EquityInstruments.rdf version of this ontology was revised to revise the definition of dividend to explicitly state that it reflects the announced commitment of a specific dividend rather than a more general policy.
Copyright (c) 2013-2025 EDM Council, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2018-2025 Object Management Group, Inc.
The value of the dividend from the preferred share is set by a predetermined formula to move with rates, and because of this flexibility preferred prices are often more stable then fixed-rate preferred stocks.
preferred share dividend whose rate is periodically reset through an auction, typically every 7, 14, 28, or 35 days
common share
share that signifies a unit of ownership in a corporation and represents a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings
In the event that the corporation is liquidated, claims of secured and unsecured creditors and owners of bonds and preferred shares take precedence over claims of common share holders.
ordinary share
common share that is convertible into another security
preferred share that includes an option for the holder to convert the shares into a fixed number of common shares after a predetermined date
Most convertible preferred stock is exchanged at the request of the shareholder, but sometimes there is a provision that allows the company, or issuer, to force conversion. The value of a convertible preferred stock is ultimately based on the performance of the common stock.
preferred share whose dividends, if not paid on time, accumulate until paid out
These dividends have precedence over ordinary dividends which cannot be paid until any cumulative dividend obligations have been paid. Dividends are typically deferred due to insufficient earnings or other business reasons.
financial institution that holds customers' securities for safekeeping
The custodian may hold stocks or other assets in electronic or physical form for mutual funds, individuals, and organizational clients.
distribution method involving payment of cash to the shareholder
distribution method involving automatic reinvestment of shareholders' dividends in additional, potentially fractional, shares in the same asset
announced commitment to make a specific distribution of a portion of earnings to shareholders, prorated by class of security
The amount and timing of payment is set by the board of directors, typically quarterly. Dividends may be paid in the form of money, shares, scrip, or on rare occasion, property.
convention by which dividends are provided to shareholders
Distribution may be by payment of a monetary amount or by reinvestment, as specified by the board of directors at the time a decision to issue a dividend is made.
payment schedule indicating the dates on which dividends are due to be paid
enhanced voting share
share that confers more than one vote per share
conversion terms specifying the details regarding conversion of shares into other securities
equity position
position in an equity instrument
equity redemption provision
redemption provision that specifies the conditions under which the issuer or shareholder may redeem the shares
equity redemption provision with extendable redemption date
equity redemption provision that allows modification of the redemption date beyond the original specified date
preferred share that may be exchanged for a security of another issuer
preferred share whose redemption date can be extended at the issuer or holder option
ISO 10962, Securities and related financial instruments - Classification of financial instruments (CFI) code, Fourth Edition, October 2019
An extendable preferred share may be redeemed at the option of the issuer and/or of the shareholder with an extendable redemption (meturity) date.
dividend that provides a specified annual return on the nominal value (and any premium) paid on shares
In other words, the return is not variable depending on whether or not the company makes a profit. Annual dividends are calculated as a percentage of the par value, which is the price of the preferred stock at the time it was issued. Most preferred shares have fixed rate dividends.
fully paid share
share whose payment status indicates that no additional money is owed to the company by shareholders on the value of the shares
status indicating that no additional money is owed to the company by shareholders on the value of the shares
retractable preferred share whose retraction value must be paid in cash
limited partnership unit
share in a form of partnership similar to a general partnership, except that in addition to one or more general partners (GPs), there are one or more limited partners (LPs)
Like shareholders in a corporation, the LPs have limited liability, i.e., they are only liable on debts incurred by the firm to the extent of their registered investment and they have no management authority. The GPs pay the LPs the equivalent of a dividend on their investment, the nature and extent of which is usually defined in the partnership agreement.
listed share
share that is listed on at least one platform
Listing requirements vary by exchange and include minimum stockholder's equity, a minimum share price and a minimum number of shareholders. Exchanges have listing requirements to ensure that only high quality securities are traded on them and to uphold the exchange's reputation among investors.
nil paid share
share whose payment status indicates that none of the market value has been received by the company for the shares
status indicating that none of the market value has been received by the company for the shares
Unpaid shares may be issued, for example, for convenience by a start-up company.
preferred share whose dividend payments are not carried forward
preferred share that is not a participating preferred share
non-voting share
share that has no voting right
dividend that is paid to shareholders periodically
Most dividends are considered ordinary, unless they are specifically designated as qualified dividends.
Note that the terms related to ordinary dividend payment are typically specified in the context of a board resolution rather than contractually.
partially paid share
share whose payment status indicates that only a portion of the market value has been received by the company for the shares
status indicating that only a portion of the market value has been received by the company for the shares
In the case of partially paid shares, the shareholder is still required to pay the remaining amount to the company. Typically, partially paid shares are only issued to a shareholder if there are compelling business reasons to do so.
preferred share that, in addition to paying a stipulated dividend, gives the holder the right to participate with common share holders in additional distributions of earnings under specified conditions
Participating preferred shares are rare, typically only issued when needed to attract investors.
preferred share that has no fixed maturity date
right that give the shareholder higher priority with respect to certain pre-defined dividend payments over other shareholders and that pay out first in the case of liquidation
commitment to distribute a portion of earnings to shareholders, similar to a dividend but often with a fixed payment amount and schedule
share that pays dividends at a specified rate and has preference over common shares in the payment of dividends and liquidation of corporate assets
preferred share with adjustable rate dividend
preferred share whose dividend rate varies according to some benchmark
preferred share with auction rate dividend
preferred share whose dividend rate is periodically reset through an auction, such as a Dutch auction
preferred share with fixed maturity date
preferred share whose maturity date is set, typically according to the terms of the prospectus
preferred share with fixed rate dividend
preferred share whose dividends are set, typically according to the terms of the prospectus
price for one share of a given security at some point in time
privately held share
share in a security that signifies ownership in an entity that is not publicly traded
Privately owned companies include family-owned businesses, sole proprietorships and the vast majority of small and medium-sized businesses. These companies are often too small for an initial public offering (IPO) due, for example to a small market capitalization and/or low trading volume, and fulfill their financing requirements in other ways, including through smaller offerings.
dividend that falls under capital gains tax rates that are lower than the income tax rates on unqualified (ordinary) dividends
preferred share that gives the issuer the right to redeem the stock under specified conditions
redeemable preferred share with extendable maturity date
redeemable preferred share with a fixed maturity date whose issuer has the option to extend the maturity date
redeemable preferred share with extendable redemption date
redeemable preferred share whose redemption date can be modified
restricted share
share whose ownership/transfer/sale is subject to special conditions including country-specific restrictions
restricted voting share
share that confers less than one vote per share
preferred share that gives the owner (shareholder) the right to redeem the stock under specified conditions
When retractable preferred shares reach maturity, the shareholder has the right to sell them back to the stock issuer at the price stated on the agreement. In some cases, the issuer can force the shareholder to sell, and may have the option of exchanging retractable preferred shares for common shares instead of cash.
retractable preferred share with extendable maturity date
retractable preferred share with a fixed maturity date whose issuer and/or holders have the option to extend the maturity date
retractable preferred share with extendable redemption date
retractable preferred share whose redemption date can be modified
share
financial instrument that signifies a unit of equity ownership in a corporation, or a unit of ownership in a mutual fund, or interest in a general or limited partnership, or a unit of ownership in a structured product, such as a real estate investment trust
issuer of securities that represent an ownership interest in something
This includes shares that represent equity ownership in a corporation, or ownership in a mutual fund, or an interest in a general or limited partnership, or ownership in a structured product, such as a real estate investment trust.
classifier that specifies the overall payment status for shares issued
When a company issues shares upon incorporation or through an initial or secondary issuance, shareholders are required to pay a set amount for those shares. Once the company has received the full amount from shareholders, the shares become fully paid shares.
share yield
ratio of the annualized dividend per share divided by the (current) price per share
dividend yield
dividend-price ratio
single voting share
share that has the right to exactly one vote
retractable preferred share whose retraction value may be paid in cash or in an equal value of common stock of the issuer, at the option of the issuer
dividend that is paid to shareholders on a one-time basis
Special dividends may be included in a dividend schedule as an ad-hoc entry, since they still need to be tracked based on the date of issuance.
unrestricted share
share whose ownership/transfer/sale is not subject to special conditions including country-specific restrictions
variable interest entity share
share that certifies ownership of a contractual right to a percentage of a company's profits
Unlike a traditional stock certificate, the VIE share provides a legal proprietary interest in a completely separate company's assets, sometimes referred to as a shell company. The contractual right certified by the VIE share is derived from a contract between (1) the company named on the VIE share and (2) the shell company. In other words, VIE shareholders only have a traditional stock certificate in the completely separate shell company, which is entitled to a percentage of the named company's profits via a private contract.
VIE share
contractual right that specifies shareholder voting entitlements, such as to elect directors, elect outside auditors, and vote on matters of corporate policy
Voting may involve decisions on issuing securities, initiating stock splits, and making substantial changes in the corporation's operations. Note that a given share may not have voting rights, in which case the number of votes per share would be zero.
number of votes per share
grants the right to vote on a per share basis to the shareholder
A given share may have zero, fractional, one, or more votes per share, depending on the contract.
grants ownership via contract
indicates a variable dividend rate, typically specified in the prospectus as a formula based on a benchmark or set at auction
has available shares
indicates the number of shares outstanding less those shares that are restricted, i.e., those that are available for trading
indicates the method by which dividend payments are to be distributed
relates a share to a dividend that applies to that share, or that the share may pay
indicates a date on which an organization states that a dividend payment may be anticipated, including the the dividend amount and the ex-dividend and payment dates
indicates a period of time after a dividend payment becomes due, before the issuer is subject to penalties
indicates a date on or after which a stock can be redeemed
indicates a date on which a stock 'goes ex-dividend', typically about three weeks before the dividend is paid to shareholders of record
Once the company sets the record date, the ex-dividend date is set based on stock exchange rules. If you purchase a stock on its ex-dividend date or after, you will not receive the next dividend payment.
Shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange go ex-dividend four business days prior to the record date.
indicates whether the issuer and/or holders of redeemable shares with a fixed maturity date have the option to extend the maturity date
indicates whether the issuer and/or holders of redeemable shares with a specified redemption date have the option to extend that date
indicates a pre-arranged fixed dividend rate, typically specified in the prospectus, for a preferred share
has floating stock
indicates the number of shares that are available for trading, i.e., the number of shares outstanding less closely held shares (those held by insiders) and restricted shares
A relatively small float results in higher volatility, as a large purchase or sell order will have significant influence on the value of the stock.
indicates the lowest market price above which a share may be redeemed
indicates the date on which the issuer checks to determine whether a party was on the company's books as a shareholder when required (i.e., they must have been on the books prior to the ex-dividend date), to identify who is eligible to receive the next dividend
Companies also use this date to determine who is sent proxy statements, financial reports, and other information.
indicates the premium price per share over the market price, if any, that must be paid in order to redeem the stock
has share class
indicates the class to which the share belongs, typically differentiated by privileges, such as voting rights
Classes of shares, including shares in a mutual fund, are designated by name or a character (letter), such as A, B, C, etc. In the case of a mutual fund, different classes of shares may incur different fees and expenses.
has share payment status
indicates the payment status for shares issued
has shares issued
indicates the actual number of shares held by shareholders (i.e., shares outstanding) and treasury shares
has shares outstanding
indicates the number of shares currently held by shareholders, including those held by retail investors, institutional investors and insiders, and typically available for trading
The number of outstanding shares is used in calculating key metrics such as a company's market capitalization, as well as its earnings per share (EPS) and cash flow per share (CFPS).
has treasury shares
indicates the number of shares issued but not outstanding, including those that were available in the market at one time but have been repurchased by the company
has voting restriction
specifies restrictions on voting rights, if any
Such restrictions may apply regardless of the number of votes per share.
indicates whether the issuer has the option of initiating the buy-back, similar to a call feature
indicates whether the shareholder has the option of initiating the buy-back, similar to a put feature
indicates that a given share (share class) has higher seniority than the related share, meaning that it gives the holder a higher claim on the assets of the issuer
indicates the date on which, or after which, conversion may occur