What is a parent company?
A company that holds a majority stake (more than 50%) in another company's voting shares is called a parent company. This means that it has the power to influence or direct the operations of the other company or companies, depending on how involved it wants to be in the ownership.
A parent company usually manages its own businesses and makes acquisitions to support its overall operations with its other subsidiaries. Parent companies can be formed by mergers and acquisitions or by spin-offs. The subsidiaries can be part of the same or different industries as the parent company, depending on how they fit into the parent company's structure.
Parent Company Explained
A parent company is a firm that has a controlling interest in one or more smaller companies, called subsidiaries. A controlling interest means that the parent company owns more than 50% of the subsidiary's stock, which gives it the power to influence or manage its operations. A parent company can be either hands-on or hands-off with its subsidiaries, depending on how much managerial authority it delegates to the subsidiary managers. A parent company must report its subsidiaries on its financial statements and for tax purposes.
A parent company can become a parent company in two main ways: acquiring smaller companies or spinning off subsidiaries. Acquiring smaller companies involves buying enough of their stock to gain a controlling interest. This can be done to reduce competition, expand operations, lower costs, or gain synergies. For example, Meta (formerly Facebook) acquired Instagram to increase user engagement and strengthen its own platform. Spinning off subsidiaries involves creating independent companies by issuing new shares to the parent company's shareholders. This can be done to separate underperforming or unrelated businesses or to optimize a subsidiary's operations. For example, a company might spin off a mature business unit that is not growing, so it can focus on a product or service with better growth prospects.
A parent company's financial performance depends on the performance of its subsidiaries. Traders can use financial statements as part of their fundamental analysis, which can help them decide whether to open or close a position on a parent company's stock