quoted company
C1Formal / Business / Financial
Definition
Meaning
A company whose shares are listed and publicly traded on a stock exchange.
A public limited company (PLC in the UK, Inc. or Corp. in the US) that has undergone an initial public offering (IPO) and whose ownership is divided into shares that any member of the public can buy and sell through a regulated market.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term 'quoted' refers to the company having a 'quotation' or official listing on an exchange (e.g., 'listed on the London Stock Exchange'). It is synonymous with 'publicly traded company' or 'listed company'. It contrasts with 'private company' or 'unquoted company'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, 'quoted company' and 'listed company' are used almost interchangeably, with 'listed' being slightly more formal in legal/regulatory contexts. In the US, 'publicly traded company' or 'public company' is more common, while 'listed company' is also used. 'Quoted company' is understood but less frequent in American English.
Connotations
In both varieties, it connotes size, regulatory scrutiny, access to capital markets, and public accountability. No significant difference in connotation.
Frequency
High frequency in UK financial/business media. Moderate frequency in US financial/business media, where 'public company' is the dominant term.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[quoted company] + [verb: is, becomes, trades as, reports][verb: acquire, invest in, regulate] + [a/quoted company]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[Not applicable for this multi-word lexical unit]”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Primary context. Used in reports, investment analysis, corporate news. 'The board of the quoted company announced record profits.'
Academic
Used in economics, finance, and business studies papers discussing corporate structure and capital markets.
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation unless discussing personal investments or business news.
Technical
Core term in finance, accounting, corporate law, and stock market regulation.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The firm is seeking to get quoted on the Main Market.
- They quoted the company at 250 pence per share.
American English
- The tech startup plans to go public and get quoted on the Nasdaq.
- Analysts quoted the company's stock target at $50.
adverb
British English
- [Not a standard adverbial form for this term]
American English
- [Not a standard adverbial form for this term]
adjective
British English
- She specialises in quoted company law.
- We analysed quoted company performance.
American English
- He focuses on publicly traded company securities.
- The report covered public company disclosures.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- A quoted company must tell everyone about its money every year.
- You can buy part of a quoted company by buying its shares.
- Becoming a quoted company gives a business access to more capital from investors.
- The regulations for quoted companies are stricter than for private family firms.
- The takeover bid for the quoted company was subject to scrutiny by the financial regulator.
- As a quoted company, its corporate governance practices are under constant review by shareholders and analysts.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a stock ticker with a company's name and price being QUOTED on a big electronic board.
Conceptual Metaphor
A COMPANY IS A PUBLIC ENTITY (contrasted with a private club). / SHARES ARE COMMODITIES (openly priced and traded).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation that yields 'цитированная компания'. The correct equivalent is 'публичная компания' or 'компания, котирующаяся на бирже'.
- Do not confuse with 'акционерное общество' (joint-stock company), which can be private or public. 'Quoted company' specifically means the public one.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'quoted' to mean 'mentioned' or 'cited' in this context (e.g., 'The CEO was quoted in the paper' is different).
- Confusing 'quoted' with 'incorporated'. A company can be incorporated (legally formed) without being quoted.
Practice
Quiz
What is the key defining feature of a 'quoted company'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In the UK, virtually all quoted companies are PLCs, but not all PLCs are quoted. A PLC can remain privately held. 'Quoted' specifies the public trading of shares.
They are largely synonymous in everyday use. Technically, 'listed' refers to being on the official list of a stock exchange, while 'quoted' refers to having a price quotation (share price) on that exchange. In practice, they coincide.
Yes, this is called a dual-listed or cross-listed company. For example, a company might be quoted on both the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange.
Increased regulatory burden, loss of privacy (financial details are public), pressure from short-term shareholders, and vulnerability to market volatility and hostile takeovers.