Preferred and common stock have varying claims to income which will change from one equity issuer to another. In general, preferred stock will be given some preference in assets to common assets in the case of company liquidation, but both will fall behind bondholders when asset distribution takes place. In the event of bankruptcy, common stock investors receive any remaining funds after bondholders, creditors (including employees), and preferred stock holders are paid. As such, these investors often receive nothing after a bankruptcy. Preferred stock also has the first right to receive dividends. In general, common stock shareholders will not receive dividends until it is paid out to preferred shareholders. Access to dividends and other rights vary from firm to firm.
1903 stock certificate of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Preferred and common stock both carry rights of ownership, but represent different classes of equity ownership.
Preferred stock may or may not have a fixed liquidation value (or par value) associated with it. This represents the amount of capital that was contributed to the corporation when the shares were first issued. Preferred stock has a claim on liquidation proceeds of a stock corporation equal to its par (or liquidation) value, unless otherwise negotiated. This claim is senior to that of common stock, which has only a residual claim.
Both types of stock can have a claim to income in the form of capital appreciation as well. As company value increases based on market determinants, the value of equity held in this company also will increase. This translates to a return on investment to shareholders. This will be different to common stock shareholders and preferred stock shareholders because of the different prices and rewards based on holding these different kinds of shares. In turn, should market forces decrease, the value of equity held will decrease as well, reflecting a loss on investment and, therefore, a decrease on the value of any claims to income for shareholders.