Bubba holds 200 shares of common stock in a utility company and receives rights to subscribe to an additional 100 shares at $20. The utility company is raising $40 million of new capital. How many shares of common stock for the utility company were outstanding prior to the rights offering?
A)2,000,000
B)4,000,000
C)1,000,000
D)40,000,000

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

4,000,000. Bubba owns 200 shares and receives rights for 100 more. The basis for the rights offering is therefore one new share for each two shares outstanding. The utility company is raising $40 million by selling shares at $20. Therefore, the company is selling 2,000,000 new shares. Since the ratio of existing shares to new shares is 2 to 1, there must be 4,000,000 presently outstanding shares.

Bubba Holds 200 Shares of Common Stock in a Utility