What are Securities? – Types | Features | Concepts

Securities are financial instruments that represent an ownership position in a publicly-traded corporation (stock), a creditor relationship with a governmental body or a corporation (bond), or rights to ownership as represented by an option. Essentially, they are tradable assets that carry value and can be bought and sold in various financial markets.

Table of Contents

1. Securities Available in the Securities Market
2. Choice Between Equity and Debt Financing for Issuers
3. Characteristics and Role of Equity Capital
4. Characteristics and Role of Debt Securities

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1. Securities Available in the Securities Market

Securities markets enable investors to deploy their surplus funds in investment instruments that are predefined for their features, are issued under regulatory supervision, and in most cases are liquid in the secondary markets. There are two broad types of securities that are issued by seekers of capital from investors:

• Equity
• Debt

When a business needs capital to fund its operations and expansion, it makes a choice between these two types of securities.

Equity capital is available for the company to use as long as it is needed; debt capital will have to be returned after the specified time. Equity investors do not enjoy any fixed return or return of principal invested; debt investors earn a fixed rate of interest and return of principal at maturity. Equity investors are owners of the business; debt investors are lenders to the business. Equity investors participate in the management of the business; debt investors do not.

Due to these fundamental differences in equity and debt securities, they are seen as two distinct asset classes between which investors make a choice. Equity represents a risky, long-term, growth-oriented investment that can show a high volatility in performance, depending on how the underlying business is performing. There is no assurance of return to the equity investor, since the value of the investment is bound to fluctuate. Debt represents a relatively lower risk, steady, short-term, income-oriented investment. It generates a steady rate of return, provided the business remains profitable and does not default on its payments. Since all residual benefits of deploying capital in a profitable business go to the equity investor, the return to equity investor is likely to be higher than that of the debt investor.

For example, if a business borrows funds at 12 percent and is able to earn a return of 14 percent on the assets created by such borrowing, the debt investor receives only 12 percent as promised. But the excess 2 percent earned by the assets, benefits the equity investor. The downside also hurts the equity investor, who may not earn anything if the return is lower than the borrowing cost and if the business is failing.

Choosing between equity and debt is a trade-off. Investors desiring lower risk, and willing to accept a lower stable return choose debt; if they seek a higher return, they may not be able to earn it without taking on the additional risk of the equity investment. Most investors tend to allocate their capital between these two choices, depending on their expected return, their investing time period, their risk appetite and their needs. This process of distributing their investible surplus between equity and debt is called asset allocation.

Apart from debt and equity there are some other products or asset classes available for investments which include:

• Hybrid securities: These are instruments that have the characteristics of both debt and equity. These are discussed in detail in a later section of this Unit.
• Commodities: These are investments in real assets such as gold, silver, copper, agricultural produce etc. as opposed to financial assets like stocks and bonds. Commodity investment can be in the physical form but is generally in the form of financial products such as commodity mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and commodity derivatives. Commodity ETFs and mutual funds are suitable for retail investors.
• Derivatives: These are contracts to buy or sell the underlying asset or exchange cash flows according to predetermined terms and conditions as to price, quantity and maturity date. Derivatives have emerged as the most heavily traded investment products over the past twenty years but are ideally suitable for sophisticated investors who can understand their risk-return profile.
• Mutual funds: These are investment vehicles that pool together the funds collected from a large number of investors and invest these funds in debt, equity or other asset classes according to a specific mandate. Mutual funds are best suited for retail investors.
• Structured products: These are pre-packaged instruments essentially linked to a traditional investment product such as a bond or currency but with embedded derivatives such as options or swaps. The embedded derivative can enhance the return on the traditional asset, and this makes the structured product a more attractive investment. Structured products are also designed on asset classes such as commodities which retail investors find difficult to invest in. Structured products are complex to design and are highly customized products. As such they are illiquid and hence, they are generally suitable for high net worth investors with high-risk appetite for such investments.
• Distressed securities: These are securities issued by a company that is on the verge of or has entered bankruptcy or has seen a massive fall in its credit rating. Such securities include equities, bonds and even trade debt of the company. Whenever a company is in financial distress, traditional investors like banks, mutual funds and insurance companies generally exit their investments in such a company even at low prices because there are regulatory limits on their investments in low-rated companies. As a result, the securities of distressed companies often trade at a steep discount to their face value. This makes distressed securities an attractive investment opportunity for investors such as hedge funds who are not subject to the same regulations as traditional investors and hence can take on higher risks. Distressed securities, as an asset class, are suitable for sophisticated investors who can properly analyse the risk-return trade-off from such securities.
• Electronic Gold Receipts (EGRs): These represents gold in electronic form with trading, clearing and settlement features. EGRs provide assurance to its investors in quality of gold. In connection to the same, SEBI introduced the framework of Gold Exchange where EGRs can be traded. The entire process includes:

1. 1. creation of EGRs,
   2. trading of EGRs on the Gold Exchange and
   3. conversion of EGRs into physical gold. SEBI (Vault Managers)

Regulations, 2022 along with standard operating guidelines for vault managers and depositories have also been issued to ensure smooth functioning of the EGR ecosystem¹.

2. Choice Between Equity and Debt Financing for Issuers

A company or a sovereign government needs to raise funds for two reasons:

• to meet its needs for working capital and
• to meet its needs for long term capital.

A company is required to pay its suppliers of raw materials and services, its employees and extend credit to its customers; government also requires funds for the daily working of its various ministries and departments, for payment of salaries and other operating expenses. These are all short-term requirements and can be met by issuing short-term debt securities.

Companies require capital for long-term investments such as setting up of manufacturing plants or acquiring other businesses. Governments need long-term funds for building infrastructure in the form of roads, railways, ports etc. Long-term capital can be raised either by issuing equity or debt securities. However, governments issue only debt capital with varying tenor to meet their capital requirements.

The implications of raising equity or debt capital are evaluated by the business before the decision is made. The following are the key factors to consider for such a decision:

• Ability to pay periodic interest: If a business generates stable profit, such that it is able to pay interest on a regular basis then in such cases, the businesses can consider raising debt capital. Banks fund most of their loans with deposits, which are borrowed funds. Depositors are willing to lend to the bank based on its ability to grow a steady loan book that earns higher interest than deposit rates. Business that does not generate steady and regular profits may choose equity over debt capital.
• Willingness to dilute ownership in the company: Equity capital represents ownership and confers voting rights to holders. Raising fresh equity capital reduces the proportion of the business holding and therefore the profits that accrue to the existing equity holders. If existing equity holders do not want a reduced stake in the business, then they may consider raising debt capital to equity capital.
• Ability to give collateral as security: Lenders or debt financers prefer secured borrowings and the ability to access the assets of the business in case of its failure. If a business is services-based and not asset-based then it may not have adequate assets to offer as collateral to borrow debt capital. In such cases, equity financing is preferred to debt financing.
• Time period for which capital is required: If capital is required to tide over short-term capital requirements, a firm may choose debt capital for such needs. It is common for businesses to borrow from banks or issue debt instruments to fund working capital. If there is a long-term need and if debt investors are unwilling to take the risk, a firm issues equity capital.

3. Characteristics and Role of Equity Capital

3.1 Features of Equity Capital

• Nature: Equity capital refers to the capital provided by owners of the business, who are willing to take the risk that the business may take time to generate profits. They also accept that these profits may not befixed or remain unchanged over time.
• Denomination: Equity capital is denominated in equity shares, with a face value. Face value in India is typically Re. 1, Rs. 2, Rs. 5 or Rs. 10 per share. Investors buy equity shares (also called stocks) issued by the company to become shareholders that jointly own the company. This is also why companies that are funded by equity are known as “joint stock companies.”
• Inside and Outside Shareholders: Equity capital can be provided by two types of shareholders. The first are the inside-shareholders or promoters who start the company with their funds and entrepreneurial skills. Large institutional investors such as venture capitalists may subscribe to equity in early stages and become inside investors. The second set of owners are outside-shareholders, or members of the public, who invest in the company’s equity shares at a later stage in order to fund its subsequent expansions and operations.
• Part Ownership: If a company issues 10,000 equity shares of face value Rs. 10 each, then its equity capital is worth Rs. 100,000 (10,000 multiplied by 10). If the face value of the same equity share was Rs. 2, then the company’s equity capital would be worth Rs. 20,000 (10,000 multiplied by 2). An equity share grants ownership of the company to the shareholders in proportion to the extent of their holding. This proportionate share is also called a stake. For example, if promoters own 5100 of the 10000 shares issued by a company, they are said to have a 51 percent stake, or a majority stake. Some companies offer employee stock option programs (ESOPs) that enable employees to own a small stake in the share capital of the company, as an incentive to participate in making the business successful.
• Variable return and residual claim: Equity capital is raised for perpetuity and not returned during the life of the business. Equity investors are paid a periodic dividend, which is not pre- determined. The rate of dividend depends on the profitability of the business and the availability of surplus for paying dividends after meeting all costs, including interest on borrowings and tax. Shareholders are ranked last both for profit sharing as well as for claiming a share of the company’s assets (residual claim). If a business were to fail, the proceeds from liquidation of assets are first paid to other claimants such as government, lenders and employees, and any residual amount, if at all, is paid to equity shareholders, after paying out preference shareholders, if any.
• Net Worth: Companies are not obliged to payout dividends every year, nor are dividend rates fixed or predetermined. If companies are growing rapidly and have large investment needs, they may choose to forego dividend and instead retain their profits within the company. The share of profits that is not distributed to shareholders is known as retained profits. Retained profits become part of the company’s reserve funds. Reserves also belong to the shareholders, though it remains with the company until it is distributed as dividend. Reserves represent retained profits that have not been distributed to the rightful owners of the same, namely the equity investors. They enhance the net worth of a company and the value of the equity shares. Equity capital is also called risk capital because these investors are willing to take the risk that the business may succeed or fail, without expecting a fixed rate of regular return. They invest with the view to participate in the success of the business resulting in a higher value for the equity shares that they hold.
• Management and Control: Promoters of a business are the initial shareholders of a company. They may directly control the management of the company. As the company expands and seeks capital from the public, ownership and management get separated. It is not feasible for thousands of shareholders holding a small proportion of capital each, to be involved in managing the company. Large publicly held companies are managed by their board of directors and the management teams report to the board. Large shareholders with a significant shareholding may be represented in the board. Publicly held companies also have professional independent directors who represent the interest of common small shareholders. All shareholders however get voting rights. Each share has a vote, and several important decisions require shareholder approval expressed through their vote in a general meeting or through a postal ballot or through e-voting facility.

3.2 Types of Equity Capital

Equity capital can be raised either by issuing ordinary shares with full voting rights or equity shares with differential voting rights or preference shares.

• Equity shares with differential voting rights (DVR) are innovative instruments that separate the shareholder’s right to participate in the profits of the company from the right to vote. Investors in DVR generally enjoy a higher rate of dividend but have proportionately lower voting rights as compared to investors in ordinary equity shares. Issuing DVR shares allows promoters to raise risk capital without diluting their ownership stake and control.
• Preference shares are a special kind of equity shares which pay a predefined rate of dividend. The dividend is payable after all other payments are made, but before dividend is declared to equity shareholders. Preference shares have some features of equity and some of debt instruments. They resemble debt instruments because they offer predetermined rate of dividend. Preference shares differ from debt securities on the following points:

1. An investor in preference shares is a shareholder of the company. A debenture holder is a creditor of the company.
2. A debenture is usually secured on the assets of the company. A preference share is not secured since it is not a borrowing.
3. The coupon interest on the debenture is an expense to be paid by the company before calculating the profits on which tax has to be paid. Dividends on preference shares are paid from the residual profits of the company after all external liabilities, including tax, have been paid.

However, unlike common equity, preference shares do not offer voting rights or a right over the assets of the company. They have a preference in the payment of dividend over ordinary equity shares and in the return of capital, if the company is wound up.

Preference shareholders are paid dividend only if the company has sufficient profits. The unpaid dividend may be carried forward to the following year(s) and paid if there are profits to pay the dividends, if the terms of issue of the shares so allow. Such shares are called cumulative preference shares. The returns for the preference shares are only from the dividend the company pays. These shares are usually not listed and there is not much scope for capital appreciation. This is because these shares do not participate in the profits of the company. Their value is not affected by the over-performance or under-performance of the company.

3.3 Risks and Returns from Investing in Equities

Investing in equity shares of a company means investing in the future earning capability of a business. The returns to an equity investor are in two forms:

• dividend that may be periodically paid out and
• increase in the value of the investment in the secondary market.

The returns to an equity investor depend on the future residual cash flows of the company, or the profits remaining after every other claim has been paid. A company may use such surplus to pay dividends, or may deploy them in the growth of the business by acquiring more assets and expanding its scale. This means, an investor buys equity shares with an eye on the future benefits in terms of dividends and appreciation in value. The return to an investor depends on the price he pays to participate in these benefits, and the accruing future benefits as expected.

The risk to an equity investor is that the future benefits are not assured or guaranteed, but have to be estimated based on dynamic changes in the business environment and profitability of the business.

Equity returns are essentially volatile and price movements of equity shares in the stock markets tend to be ‘noisy’. This is because a large number of players simultaneously act on new information about stocks, and realign their positions based on their expectations about the stock’s future performance. Since this process is dynamic and tries to incorporate all available information about a stock’s performance into the price, a stock with stable and consistent growth and profits appreciates in price; a stock whose performance is deteriorating, depreciates in price. Prices move up when buyers are willing to acquire a stock even at higher and higher prices; prices move down when sellers accept lower and lower prices for a stock. The stock prices thus mirror the performance of the stocks, and are a good barometer of how well a company, a sector, or the economy as a whole is functioning.

4. Characteristics and Role of Debt Securities

Debt capital refers to the capital provided by the lenders who are keen to be compensated regularly in the form of a pre-specified fixed rate of interest. They also expect the money they have lent to be returned to them after an agreed period of time.

• Instrument types: Debt capital may be raised by issuing various types of debt instruments such as debentures, bonds, commercial papers, certificates of deposit or pass-through certificates. Each of these instruments is defined for its tenor (the time period to maturity) and the rate of interest it would pay. As a practice, the rate of interest on debt instruments is represented as percent per annum on the face value of a debt security.
• Floating rate of interest: Some debt instruments may pay a floating rate of interest. This means, the amount of periodic interest payment will vary, depending on the level of a pre-decided interest rate benchmark. The benchmark is usually a market interest rate such as the MIBOR (Mumbai Interbank Offer Rate). The lender and borrower agree to refer to the benchmark at a specific reset frequency, say once in six months, and set the rate until the next reset date, based on the level of the benchmark.
• Credit rating: Lenders may not have access to complete information about how a business is performing, since they are outsiders to the company. The company appoints a credit rating agency to evaluate its ability to service a debt security being offered, its ability to meet interest and principal repayment obligations. The rating agency assigns a credit rating for the debt instrument, indicating the ability to service debt. This rating is used in the borrowing program to assure lenders that an external professional evaluation has been completed.
• Priority: Interest to lenders is paid before taxes and before any distribution to equity investors. Interest payment is an obligation, which if not met will be seen as a default. A default in payment of interest and/or principal will hurt the credit rating of the borrower and make it tough for them to raise further capital. If there is a failure of the business, lenders will receive their settlement before other stakeholders such as employees and equity investors.
• Security: Lenders to a business do not participate in the management of the company, nor do they get directly involved with the decisions of the company. They however like to protect their rights to receive a regular interest and timely return of the principal amount. For this the lenders may ask for security before lending. Several borrowings are secured by a mortgage on the assets of the business. These are called secured borrowings, where the lenders can press for sale of the asset to recover their dues, if the business is unable to pay them.
• Control: Though lenders do not directly control the management of a company, they may place certain restrictions on the Board of the Company, with respect to the decisions that may harm their interests as lenders. They may prevent a company from unrelated diversification or expansion; they may require restrictions on further borrowings; they may prevent a second-charge on assets; or they may ask the owners to bring more equity capital as a cushion against losses.
• Conversion: Lenders may seek a conversion of their debt into equity. This can be done either through the issue of convertible debentures by means of which the outstanding debt will be converted into equity at a specific date, price and time. It should be noted that interest payments are made to the lenders till the date of conversion, after which the holdings are treated as equity shares with all rights associated with them, and there are no more rights as lenders.

4.1 Features of Debt Instruments

Debt capital can be created by borrowing from banks and other institutions or by issuing debt securities. For example, if a company wishes to borrow Rs.100 crore, it has two options. If it takes a bank loan for the total amount, then the bank is the sole lender to the company. Alternately, it can access a larger pool of investors by breaking up the loan amount into smaller denominations. If it issues one crore debt securities, each with a face value of Rs.100, then an investor who brings in Rs.1000 would receive 10 securities. The lending exposure of each investor is limited to the extent of his investment.

A debt security denotes a contract between the issuer (company) and the lender (investor) which allows the issuer to borrow a sum of money at pre-determined terms. These terms are referred to as the features of a debt security and include the principal, coupon and the maturity of the security.

• Principal: The principal is the amount borrowed by the issuer. The face value of the security is the amount of the principal that is due on each debt security. Each investor, therefore, is owed a portion of the principal represented by his investment.
• Coupon: The coupon is the rate of interest paid by the borrower. The interest rate is usually specified as a percentage of face value, and depends on factors such as the risk of default of the issuer, the credit policy of the lender, debt maturity and market conditions. The periodicity of interest payment (quarterly, semi-annually, annually) is also agreed upon in the debt contract.
• Maturity: The maturity of a bond refers to the date on which the contract requires the borrower to repay the principal amount. Once the bond is redeemed or repaid, it is extinguished and ceases to exist.

Examples of debt securities include debentures, bonds, commercial papers, treasury bills and certificates of deposits. In the Indian securities markets, a debt instrument denoting the borrowing of a government or public sector organization is called a bond and that of the private corporate sector is called debenture. Some have also argued that debentures are secured debt instruments, while bonds are unsecured. These differences have vanished over time. The terms, bonds and debentures are usually used interchangeably these days.

All debt securities grant the investor the right to coupon payments and principal repayment as per the debt contract. Some debt securities, called secured debt, also give investors rights over the assets of the issuing company. If there is a default on interest or principal payments, those assets can be sold to repay the investors. Investors with unsecured debt do not enjoy this option.

Some debt securities are listed on stock exchanges such as the National Stock Exchange or the Bombay Stock Exchange, so they can be traded in the secondary market. Unlisted securities have to be held until maturity.

4.2 Structures of Debt Instruments

The basic features of a debt security can be modified to meet the specific requirements of the issuer or lender. The simplest form of debt is known as a plain vanilla bond and requires interest to be paid at a fixed rate periodically, and principal to be returned when the bond matures. The bond is usually issued at its face value, say Rs. 100, and redeemed at par, the same Rs.100.

The plain vanilla bond structure allows slight variations such as higher or lower than par redemption price; or varying the frequency of interest between monthly, quarterly and annual payments. However, there are other ways in which bond structures can be altered so that they are no longer in the plain vanilla category.

1. SEBI Circular No.: SEBI/HO/CDMRD/DMP/CIR/P/2022/07 dated January 10, 2022 on Framework for operationalizing the Gold Exchange in India.