Corporate Stock Certificate

A Stock Certificate is a printed document which states the name, incorporation state, and date of incorporation, the registered number of the certificate, the number of shares of stock in a corporation the certificate represents, the name of the shareholder, the date of issuance, and the number of shares authorized in the particular issue of stock, signed by the President and Secretary of the corporation. On the reverse side of the certificate is a form for transfer of the stock certificate to another person. After transfer the new owner should register the change of ownership with the corporation.

In corporate law, a stock certificate is a legal document that certifies ownership of a specific number of stock shares in a corporation. In large corporations, buying shares does not always lead to a stock certificate.