shadow stock

English

Noun

shadow stock (countable and uncountable, plural shadow stocks) (finance)

1. Virtual stock having a calculated value, without real-world fluctuations, used to motivate and compensate employees.

   Synonyms: phantom stock, unit stock

   • 2008, Sydney S. Traum, The S Corporation Answer Book:

     The IRS characterized the plan as a classic phantom stock or shadow stock plan. Under the plan, the corporation would grant “units” to certain employees, officers, and directors.

2. Stock from smaller companies that is not highly tracked by financial analysts or professional investors.
   • 1991 June, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, volume 45, number 6, page 51:

     In addition, the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) scanned its list of "shadow stocks"—smallish companies with relatively low coverage by financial analysts—for those with price-earnings ratios of less than 20 and an annual growth rate in earnings per share during the past five years of more than 20%. From the shadow stocks meeting these criteria, we chose several other companies to profile.

   • 2017, David R. Anderson, Modern Business Statistics with Microsoft Office Excel, page 33:

     Table 1.8 shows a data set containing information for 25 of the shadow stocks tracked by the American Association of Individual Investors. Shadow stocks are common stocks of smaller companies that are not closely followed by Wall Street analysts.