Rights Issue

A rights issue is an invitation to existing shareholders to purchase additional new shares in the company. This type of issue gives existing shareholders securities called rights. With the rights, the shareholder can purchase new shares at a discount to the market price on a stated future date. The company is giving shareholders a chance to increase their exposure to the stock at a discount price.

Until the date at which the new shares can be purchased, shareholders may trade the rights on the market the same way that they would trade ordinary shares. The rights issued to a shareholder have value, thus compensating current shareholders for the future dilution of their existing shares' value. Dilution occurs because a rights offering spreads a company’s net profit over a larger number of shares. Thus, the company’s earnings per share decreases as the allocated earnings result in share dilution.

Companies most commonly issue a rights offering to raise additional capital. A company may need extra capital to meet its current financial obligations. Troubled companies typically use rights issues to pay down debt, especially when they are unable to borrow more money.

As a shareholder, there are three options with a rights issue.

1. Subscribe to the rights issue in full or
2. Ignore your rights or
3. Sell the rights to someone else.

Investors may be tempted by the prospect of buying discounted shares with a rights issue. But it is not always a certainty that you are getting a bargain. In addition to knowing the ex-rights share price, you need to know the purpose of the additional funding before accepting or rejecting a rights issue. Be sure to look for a compelling explanation of why the rights issue and share dilution are necessary as part of a company's strategic plan. A rights issue can offer a quick fix for a troubled balance sheet, but that does not mean that management will address the underlying problems that weakened the balance sheet in the first place.