Well, yes. A delisted stock can be relisted only if SEBI permits it. The market regulator lays out different guidelines for relisting such shares. Relisting of voluntarily delisted stocks: Such shares will have to wait five years from their delisting date to get relisted again.
The only thing delisting does is that the stock doesn't trade on whatever exchange it got delisted from. It would still exist and you would still own it. No one is going to pay you out. It would trade over the counter.
Once a company delists its shares, you can no longer sell those shares on publicly listed exchanges. However, your stake in the company can be maintained until you choose to sell the shares through other avenues. These other avenues can be through finding a buyer using off-the-counter markets.
If someone misses applying for the delisting, they can tender the shares offline directly to the company, and the company will buy them back. Shareholders will have a one-year period from the date of unlisting to tender the shares to the company.
The delisted company would have to avoid bankruptcy, solve the issue that forced the delisting, and again become compliant with the exchange's standards. What's more common than a relisting is that a delisted company goes bankrupt and the delisted stock becomes worthless.
The company may be given a period of time to come back into compliance with the exchange's rules, but if it doesn't, its stock will be delisted. Companies can apply for relisting once they meet the exchange's requirements.
If the security cannot be sold in the market, it may be possible to dispose of the worthless security by gifting it to another person who can be related or unrelated to you. If you gift the worthless security to a family member, you will need to ensure that the person is not your spouse or minor child.
When a stock is delisted, options trading on that stock typically ceases. This means that options holders are no longer able to buy or sell their options on the open market. However, they still have the right to exercise their options if they choose to do so.
If you own securities, including stocks, and they become totally worthless, you have a capital loss but not a deduction for bad debt. Worthless securities also include securities that you abandon.
When a stock is delisted, it can no longer be bought or sold on the exchange. However, it may still be possible to trade the shares over-the-counter (OTC) or through private transactions, depending on the circumstances.
If you still hold shares after they are delisted, you can sell them—just not on the exchange on which they traded before. Stock exchanges are very advantageous for buying and selling shares. When they delist and trade over the counter (OTC), selling shares and getting a reasonable price for them becomes much harder.
The delisting of shares results in the impossible selling of shares until the company goes through the exit route. It is effectively irrecoverable and is a loss to the taxpayer. Once the company goes through liquidation or is referred to NCLT under IBC, NCLT declares the company to drop the shares and claim the loss.
The value of shares doesn't automatically rise or fall with a delisting, but when an involuntary listing takes place, it's often a sign that a company is approaching bankruptcy. In this case, there's a chance investors might lose their investment.
A company whose shares have been delisted from an exchange, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, could potentially apply to get them relisted once again. However, the relisting process can be very challenging and may even require the company to meet all of the listing requirements once again.
Under Nasdaq Rule 5550(a)(2) (Primary Equity Security listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market) and Rule 5450(a)(1) (Primary Equity Security listed on the Nasdaq Global or Global Select Markets), Nasdaq-listed companies are required to maintain a minimum bid price of at least $1.00 per share.
The Impact of Delisting on Investors
However, a delisted stock often experiences significant or total devaluation. Therefore, even though a stockholder may still technically own the stock, they will likely experience a significant reduction in ownership. In some cases, stockholders can lose everything.
However, there is one way to claim the losses on shares which are delisted and still lying in your demat account. You can transfer these shares from your demat account through off market transaction for a very nominal price to any of your friends or relatives.
If a stock is untradeable on Robinhood, you won't be able to buy or sell shares of it.
A delisting does not directly affect shareholders' rights or claims on the delisted company. It will, however, often depress the share price and make holdings harder to sell, even as thousands of securities trade over-the-counter. Nasdaq. "Initial Listing Guide: January 2023," Pages 6-14.
Report any worthless securities on Form 8949. You'll need to explain to the IRS that your loss totals differ from those presented by your broker on your Form 1099-B and why. You need to treat securities as if they were sold or exchanged on the last day of the tax year.
If you own a stock where the company has declared bankruptcy and the stock has become worthless, you can generally deduct the full amount of your loss on that stock — up to annual IRS limits with the ability to carry excess losses forward to future years.
If you own delisted shares, you can still sell them on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) or on the Pink Sheets, which have more relaxed regulations and few listing requirements. OTC trading is volatile, and this level of risk is typically not suitable for beginning investors.
Yes, a delisted stock can be re-listed on a major exchange like the NYSE or Nasdaq if the company subsequently meets all of the exchange's listing requirements. This typically involves getting the stock price above the minimum threshold, meeting financial benchmarks, and filing up-to-date financial reports.
One of the primary benefits of delisting is the significant reduction in compliance costs and the regulatory burden that accompanies being a publicly traded entity.