The stockholders’ meeting for Percival Corporation has been in progress for some time. The chief financial officer for Percival is presently reviewing the company”s financial statements and is explaining the items that comprise the stockholders’ equity section of the balance sheet forthe current year. The stockholders’ equity section of Percival Corporation at December 31, 2014, is as follows.
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PERCIVAL CORPORATION Balance Sheet (partial) December 31, 2014 |
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Paid-in capital Capital stock Preferred stock, authorized 1,000,000 shares cumulative, $100 par value, $8 per share, 6,000 shares issued and outstanding |
$600,000 |
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Common stock, authorized 5,000,000 shares, $1 par value, 3,000,000 shares issued, and 2,700,000 outstanding |
3,000,000 |
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Total capital stock |
3,600,000 |
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Additional paid-in capital |
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In excess of par—preferred stock |
$50,000 |
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In excess of par—common stock |
25,000,000 |
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Total additional paid-in capital |
25,050,000 |
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Total aid-in capital |
28,650,000 |
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Retained earnings |
900,000 |
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Total paid-in capital and retained earnings |
29,550,000 |
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Less:11–easury stock (300,000 common shares) |
9,300,000 |
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Total Stockholder’s equity |
$20,250,000 |
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At the meeting, stockholders have raised a number of questions regarding the stockholders’ equity section.
Instructions
With the class divided into groups, answer the following questions as if you were the chief financial officer for Percival Corporation.
(a) “What does the cumulative provision related to the preferred stock mean?”
(b)“I thought the common stock was presently selling at $29.75, but the company has the stock stated at $1 per share. How can that be?”
(c)“Why is the company buying back its common stock? Furthermore, the treasury stock has a debit balance because it is subtracted from stockholders’ equity. Why is treasury stock not reported as an asset if it has a debit balance?”