Shareholder
A person or institution that owns shares in a company and therefore holds part of its ownership.
How it is identified
Test: the holder's name appears in the register of members, or in a depository account holding the shares, as of the relevant record date
Unit
qualitative
In depth
A shareholder is an owner, not a lender, and that distinction sets the whole risk profile: lenders are paid on a schedule and rank ahead in a winding-up, while shareholders are paid last and only from what is left. 'Shareholder' is also narrower than 'stakeholder', a term that sweeps in employees, customers, suppliers and regulators who have an interest in the company but no ownership of it. Entitlements such as dividends and voting attach to whoever is on the register on a stated record date, not to whoever happens to hold the shares when the money is actually paid.
Worked example
You hold 200 shares on the record date for a ₹6 per share dividend, so you receive 200 x 6 = ₹1,200. Buy the same 200 shares on the ex-dividend date instead and you own the shares but the seller keeps that ₹1,200 — the entitlement was fixed before you arrived.
Illustrative figures, chosen so the arithmetic is easy to follow. Not a live price and not a valuation of any company.
Educational reference only
This entry explains what “Shareholder” means. It is not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Any numbers above are illustrative, not live prices, and nothing here predicts price direction or rates a stock. Consider your own circumstances and consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before acting.