Stockholders’ Equity

Easy Practice Test

Intermediate Accounting 2

Easy Practice Test

Click the “Check Your Answer” box below each problem to reveal the correct answer and explanation.

1. Par value

a. changes when market value changes
b. is the same as fair market value
c. will never change
d. is determined by the corporation’s charter

Answer

D. Par value is determined by the corporate charter and will only change with a stock split. 

2. When a cash dividend is declared

a. total owner’s equity does not change
b. total assets decrease
c. retained earnings decreases
d. total assets increase and total owner’s equity increases

Answer

C. The declaration of a cash dividend is recorded with a decrease to retained earnings (debit) and an increase to dividend payable (credit). Retained earning is part of owner’s equity so total owner’s equity decrease (a). Asset do not decrease until the payment date (b).

3. When a company purchases its own stock

a. total owner’s equity increases
b. investments increase
c. total assets increase
d. total owner’s equity decreases

Answer

D. The purchase is recorded as an increase to treasury stock. Treasury stock is negative owner’s equity that is an indirect reduction to issued common stock. Total assets decrease when cash is used (c). Treasury stock is not considered an investment (asset); it is contra owner’s equity. 

4. Which of the following is a contra-owner’s equity account?

a. additional paid in capital
b. treasury stock
c. common stock issued
d. retained earnings for a profitable company

Answer

B. Treasury stock is a negative owner’s equity account. All others listed will be reported as positive amounts on the balance sheet.

5. Which of the following is the number of shares that are held by owners other than the company?

a. authorized
b. issued
c. outstanding
d. treasury

Answer

C. Issued less treasury = outstanding which reflects shares owned by other than the company itself.

6. When a company sells treasury stock

a. paid in capital–treasury stock is always increased
b. a gain or loss on sale of stock is recorded
c. paid in capital–treasury stock is recorded when cash received per share is higher than original cost per share
d. retained earnings is always decreased

Answer

C. Selling treasury stock is reissuing it back to outside shareholders. The treasury stock account is always reduced at the historical cost, cash is always increased, and paid in capital-treasury stock is used to record a gain on the transaction. Paid in capital-treasury stock is decreased to record a loss up to the amount of paid in capital–treasury stock recorded previously and then retained earnings is decreased to record the rest of the loss. Gains and losses are not recorded or reported on the income statement for treasury stock transactions.

7. Paid in capital–common stock is increased when

a. common stock is repurchased from shareholders
b. common stock is purchased from employees
c. common stock is issued for less than par value
d. common stock is issued for more than par value

Answer

D. Paid in capital is used when more is received from issuing stock than par value. Treasury stock transaction never use a common stock account. (a. & b.) are treasury stock transactions. 

8. A small stock dividend

a. increases retained earning for par value x # shares issued
b. decreases retained earnings for par value x # shares issued
c. increases retained earnings for fair market value x # shares issued
d. decreases retained earnings for fair market value x # shares issue

Answer

D. Dividends always decrease retained earnings. Retained earnings is decreased for the fair market value of the shares issued when the dividend is considered to be a small dividend (< 20-25%). Large dividends use par value.

9. Paid in Capital–Treasury stock

a. always increases at par amount
b. increases when treasury stock is purchased
c. increases when treasury stock is sold
d. decreases when common stock is sold

Answer

C. Additional paid in capital–treasury stock is only recorded when more cash is received from selling treasury shares than was originally paid. It may also decrease when treasury stock is sold if it is sold at a loss. This account is used to record gains and losses on sales of treasury stock.

10. A stock dividend

a. always increases the number of shares outstanding
b. always increases total owner’s equity
c. always increases retained earnings
d. all of the above

Answer

A. A stock dividend gives more shares to shareholders, as a % of what they already own, and always increases the number of shares outstanding. It is a decrease to retained earnings (c.). Total owner’s equity does not change because retained earnings and common stock offset each other for the same amount.

11. A company was incorporated at the beginning of the current year. The corporate charter authorized 100,000 share of $0.01 par value common stock and 10,000 shares of $100 par value preferred stock. During this year the company issued 50,000 shares of common stock for $500,000 and 3,000 shares of preferred stock for $300,000. At the end of the year the company purchased and retired 5,000 shares when the fair market value of common stock was $22.

A. Record the issuance of common and preferred stock.
B. Record the retirement of common stock

Answer

A.

Cash                                                               500,000
            Common Stock                                                      500
            Additional Paid in Capital – CS                     499,500

Common stock is always par value x # shares ($0.01 x 50,000)
Additional Paid in Capital–CS is for the difference in par and cash received

Cash                                         300,000
            Preferred Stock                     300,000

Preferred stock is always par value x # shares ($100 x 3,000)
Paid in capital is not necessary when the stock is issued at par

B.

Retained Earnings   60,000           plug to balance
Common Stock          50           (5,000 x $0.01)
Paid In Capital – Common Stock   49,950           (5,000 x $9.99)
            Cash 110,000    (5,000 x $22)

Step 1) Remove common stock at par (debit)
Step 2) Remove paid in capital–CS for # shares x average
Step 3) Record the cash you paid (credit)
Step 4) Plug to balance; retained earning when you need a debit plug

Average Paid in Capital = $9.99

Total Paid In Capital                  499,500
   Total Shares Issued                  50,000

12. At the beginning of the year the company had common stock as follows:

Authorized 1,000,000 shares
Issued and outstanding   500,000 shares
Par value of $0.50

The following transactions occurred this year:

April 1: Purchased 50,000 shares of their own stock for $10 per share
June 30: Reissued 20,000 shares of their own stock for $12 per share
October 10: Reissued 30,000 shares of their own stock for $8 per share

Record the transactions related to treasury for the current year

Answer

4/1

Treasury Stock             500,000
            Cash                                500,000

Treasury stock increases (debit) for the cost when purchased.
(the common stock account and par value is not used)

6/30

Cash                                240,000
            Treasury Stock                                   200,000
            Additional Paid in Capital–TS             40,000

First: record the cash received as a debit.
Treasury stock is always decreased at original cost x # shares reissued
Cash is the amount received, often referred to as FMV.
Paid in capital is a plug for the difference.

10/10

Retained Earnings             20,000
Additional PIC – TS            40,000
Cash                                  240,000
            Treasury Stock                         300,000

First: Record the cash received as a debit
Second: Reduce treasury stock for original cost x # shares with credit (30K x $10)

Then: Determine what you need to have to get the entry in balance, debit or credit.
    For a debit, first use the Additional PIC–TS
    Do not reduce Additional PIC-TS below a 0 balance.
    more than you have recorded previously.
    The amount in the account is 40,000.
    Use retained earnings for the difference needed to balance the journal entry

13. The company had 100,000 shares of common stock, par value $1, issued and outstanding at the end of the prior year. In February of the current year the company declared a 2:1 stock split. The fair market value of the common stock when the stock split was declared was $20 per share.

Record the stock split:

Answer

A stock split is not recorded with a journal entry.
Total par value and the common stock account does not change

Total par before split =
100,000 shares x $1 par = $100,000

Total par after split =
200,000 shares x $0.50 par = $100,000

A split multiplies the number of shares and divides the par value.

The company will reissue new stock certificates changing the number of shares and the par value of each share.

14. At the end of the prior year the company’s balance sheet reported the following:

Preferred stock, $100 par, 5%, 1,000 shares issued & outstanding $ 100,000
Common stock, $0.10 par, 100,000 shares issued and  
90,000 shares outstanding $ 10,000
Additional Paid in Capital – Common Stock $1,500,000
Treasury Stock, 10,000 shares $ 120,000

A. Determine the fair market value of a share of stock when the common stock was issued.

B. The board of directors declared a $1 per common share cash dividend.
Make the entries to record the cash dividend declared and paid.

C. The board declared the stated preferred stock dividend. Record the entries to record the preferred dividend declared and paid.

D. The board declared a 15% stock dividend when fair market value of each share
was $10. Record the declaration and payment.

E. The board declared a 40% stock dividend when fair market value of each share
was $10. Record the declaration and payment of the stock dividend given D. has not occurred.

Answer

A. The amount of cash received when the shares were issued is the fair market value of the shares.

Common Stock      10,000
+ Additional Paid in Capital – CS 1,500,000
= Total cash received 1,510,000
/ shares issued   100,000
= FMV per share of stock    $15.10

B. The total amount is number of shares outstanding x $ per share declared.

Only outstanding shares receive the dividend; the company does not pay themselves cash on the treasury shares they own. (Cutting a check to themselves does not make sense)

Retained Earnings 90,000
            Dividends Payable             90,000
 
Dividends Payable 90,000
            Cash             90,000

C. The total dividend paid is # shares issued x par value per share x stated %

Retained Earnings 5,000
            Dividends Payable             5,000
 
Dividends Payable 5,000
            Cash             5,000

D. A stock dividend is paid on all issued stock.
Stock the company owns also gets the dividend so the company does not lose total value.

Number of shares issued 100,000
x Dividend % x .15___
= Number of shares issued 15,000
x Fair market value per share $10__
= Total decrease to Retained earnings 150,000

Small stock dividend:
Record retained earnings at #shares x FMV

Retained Earnings 150,000
            Stock Dividend Payable             150,000
 
Stock Dividend Payable 150,000
            Common Stock             1,500
            Additional paid in capital – CS        148,500

E. A stock dividend is paid on all issued stock. Stock the company owns also gets the dividend so the company does not lose value.

Number of shares issued 100,000
x Dividend % x .40___
= Number of shares issued 40,000
x Par value per share $.10__
= Total decrease to Retained earnings 4,000

Large stock dividend:
Record retained earnings at #shares x Par value

Retained Earnings 4,000
            Stock Dividend Payable             4,000
 
Stock Dividend Payable 4,000
            Common Stock             4,000
15. Refer to the information in problem 14. to answer the following questions:

A. How much cash was raised by the company when common stock was issued?

B. Which class of stock would an investor purchase if they were looking for a return of income only?

C. What was the price per share paid for treasury stock?

Answer

A. The amount of cash raised is always equal to common stock plus additional paid
in capital.

Common Stock 10,000
+ Additional Paid in Capital – CS 1,500,000
= Total cash received 1,510,000

B. Preferred stock gives no voting rights and shareholders invest to get the annual dividend payment stated on the stock. The annual payment is considered annual income. Preferred stock does not increase in value as the company grows.

C. Treasury stock is always reported at cost, (what was paid for it).

Total treasury stock / # shares held = cost per share

$120,000 / 10,000 shares = $12 per share historical cost

The quantity of treasury shares is always equal to the difference in the quantity of common shares issued and common shares outstanding.