What happens if you're given shares in a company?

[Grant]

What happens when you get shares in a company? Maybe from taking a job, or maybe a severance package at retirement. I would love to have shares in a company, just so that I could later sell them.

If you were given shares in a major company, what would you do? Keep them in for as long as possible? Or sell it off?

 

[Kane]

I have never worked with companies that are publicly trading, therefore, I have never received free shares. However, I have received free shares as a part of dividends on my share investment. When I received these shares, I kept them for a long time until I though I have had enough profits.

 

[Busybee]

I would keep them for a few years and sell at an appropriate time and take the profits and invest in my business which I plan to do after my retirement.

 

[Riberet19]

Well if I got some free shares from my pension plan for example, I think I would keep them for a while to see if I can generate an extra return, on the other hand it would be fine if they had some type of dividends, that would be a plus, it all depends on the character of each one, surely many would sell them at the moment since they want the money immediately.

 

[tray591]

If a company offer me share for free I will reserve the share slot but later will discuss with my stock broker to sell the share and give me the money which I will invest