Stock, in business and , refers to certificates representing shares of ownership in a . When or organisations shares in a company, they receive stock certificates the number of shares they have . Such certificates entitle them to shares in the profits of the company, which are paid out at , in the form of dividends. Besides a claim on company profits, stockholders are entitled to share in the sale of the company if it is dissolved. They may also vote in person or by proxy for officers, the accounts of the company at reasonable times, vote at stockholders' meetings, and, when the company new stock, have to buy a certain number of shares before they are offered for public sale. Because stocks are generally negotiable, stockholders have the right to or their shares to another . Unlike a proprietor or in a business, a stockholder is not liable for the debts of the in which he or she has . The most the stockholder can lose if the company fails is the amount of her or his . According to the New York Stock Exchange, about 47 million people in the U.S. owned stocks in publicly held in 1985.