Publicly traded means a company owned by shareholders who are members of the general public and trade shares publicly, as on the stock market.

In contrast, see the entry for a privately owned company. Our complete guide to choosing your business structure is good further reading if you are trying to decide how to set up your new business.

Bplans GlossaryBplans Glossary

At Bplans, it's our goal to make it easy for you to start and run your business. The Bplans glossary of common business terms will help you learn about key small business and entrepreneurship topics.