Get Started in Shares

Parents and groups

Companies can own companies. That is, they can buy all or some of the shares in other companies. Most of the firms in which you might hold shares will control many other companies. Usually they own 100% of the shares, but it might be they have 50% or 60%. This is often enough to decide who will be the directors and other important matters.

Being subject to this level of control makes the firm concerned a subsidiary of the parent firm. This means that when the accounts are drawn up to show profit or balance sheet assets, etc. there are accounts for each of the ‘separate persons’, i.e. each of the companies and, in addition there is a set of accounts for the ‘group’. For the group accounts the entire income, costs, property values, ...