You can find information about a company's common stock in its balance sheet. Image source: Getty Images. Simply put, each share of common stock represents a share of ownership in a company.

Common stock outstanding means all the shares of stock owned by investors and company insiders. The SEC requires this information to be shown on a company's balance sheet. When you buy stock in a ...

When someone talks about buying, selling, or owning stock in a company, they’re usually referring to common stock—one or more “shares” that represent fractional ownership of a business.

When seeking investment quality, the balance sheet tells the story ... Equity is a company's common and preferred stock—plus its retained earnings. Debt typically includes short-term borrowing ...