Treasury Stock (Treasury Shares)
Stock that has been repurchased by the issuing company. These shares don't pay dividends, have no voting rights, and should not be included in shares outstanding calculations.
Investopedia Commentary
Treasury stock is created when a company does a share buyback and purchases its shares on the open market. This can be advantageous to shareholders because it lowers the number of shares outstanding. However, not all buybacks are a good thing. For example, if a company merely buys stock to improve financial ratios such as EPS or P/E, then the buyback is detrimental to the shareholders, and it is done without the shareholders' best interests in mind.
Related Links
A Breakdown Of Stock Buybacks
Stock Basics Tutorial
See also: Buyback, Common Stock, Dividend, Earnings per Share - EPS, Employee Stock Option - ESO, Issuer, Outstanding Shares, Price-Earnings Ratio - P/E Ratio, Share Repurchase, Voting Right
Also spelled: stock buy backs, stock buy back