A person or organization that owns shares or stock in a company.
Compound word from 'stock' (shares of a company) and 'holder' (one who possesses something). 'Stock' comes from Old English meaning a wooden stake or log, later used metaphorically for certificates of ownership.
When you buy even one share of a company's stock, you become a fractional owner of everything they own—buildings, patents, equipment—which is why shareholders get voting power at company meetings.
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