Equity

Page written by AI. Reviewed internally on January 29, 2024.

Definition

Equity, in financial terms, refers to the ownership interest or residual value that remains in a company after deducting its liabilities from its assets.

What is equity?

It represents the portion of a company’s assets that belongs to its owners or shareholders. Essentially, equity is the value that shareholders hold in a company, and it can be thought of as the difference between a company’s total assets and its total liabilities. Equity provides a measure of the company’s net worth and is a key component of the company’s balance sheet. It can also be referred to as “shareholders’ equity” or “stockholders’ equity.”

Example of equity

Let’s consider a fictional company, XYZ Inc., with the following financial information:

  • Total assets: £1,000,000
  • Total liabilities: £400,000

In this case, the equity of XYZ Inc. is £600,000. This amount represents the ownership interest that shareholders have in the company after accounting for all its liabilities.

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